Fate Has No Boundaries
by UniversalGoddess
Summary: All Tsuki Saito wanted to do was have a normal, fun, calm, spirit and demon free life. Unfortunately for her, fate apparently had other ideas. HieixOC
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello! It's been a while. During my retreat, I had an idea on a Yu Yu Hakusho story. Since Kurama/Yoko is still my favorite male character in the series, I wanted to write a story about him first. However, Hiei's story came into my mind before Kurama's, so, I have decided to post Hiei's story first. I am combining the anime and manga with my own setting and plot. I hope you guys enjoy it! ^^

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

This story is rated M for violence, explicit language, and scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't owe Yu Yu Hakusho. All copyrights to the manga and anime go to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only have rights to my plot and OCs.

Updated: 12/14/16

* * *

The Saito shrine was located on the east side of the flourishing city of Osaka. The shrine was tucked safely away in the valley. Waterfall maple trees towered towards the sky, filling up the east side of the valley with sounds of wildlife. Many years ago, the Saito Shrine was built at the bottom of a mountain, where fresh water now flowed out towards a small lake filled with colorful koi sun was slowly rising over the horizon, bringing first light to the sleeping world.

Among those who were awake was a 14-year-old girl who was diligently doing her morning chores. She was 5'2 of height, with long straight raven hair that went past her shoulders. She had a pale complexion, greatly emphasized by the contrast in her darker hair color. She had light brown eyes that reflected the morning sunrise, making her eyes appear even lighter than they were. She was wearing her traditional Japanese Miko clothes; a white undershirt and kimono tied firmly around her upper body, a white underskirt, and long red pants were wrapped tightly around her waist, and long white socks that kept her feet warm as she wore her sandals.

Her morning routine included cleaning the rooms, sweeping the stone stairs, and preparing breakfast for herself, her grandfather, and the altar. She was about to sweep the last stone when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Tsuki!" An old familiar voice yelled out.

Tsuki gave out a big sighed as she continued on sweeping. _Now, what does this old man want?_

"Tsuki!" The voice was getting closer with the sound of approaching footsteps.

 _I swear, this better not be a long ass speech._

She felt a presence behind her. "Tsuki! I know you can hear me!"

Tsuki stopped her sweeping and turned around, glaring at her grandfather as she did so.

"What old man?!"

Before she knew it, her grandfather's large white fan reached over her shoulder to hit the back of her head. Tsuki staggered back and winced in pain.

Her grandfather gave her a cold and frightening stare.

"Who are you calling an old man?! Is that any way to treat your grandfather?"

"Ow! That hurt!" Tsuki exclaimed as she rubbed her head. "You are an _old_ man!" Tsuki straightened up, looking her grandfather straight in the eyes. "And besides, you are always bothering me like I'm sort of child! My fifteenth birthday is not until another three months!"

"That's right! And do you know what that means?"

Tsuki began sweeping faster than normal. "It is the day of the new moon. The day that I truly accept myself as a priestess."

Grandfather Saito waved his white fan frantically. "Correct! On this day, you will carry on the Saito's name. You will rise and accept your responsibilities, just like your mother and grandmother."

Tsuki stopped her sweeping. "Grandfather, I have already told you countless times. I'm not going to do the ceremony. As an apprentice, I'm okay with doing part-time shrine duties. However, I want to live a normal life as well."

Grandfather Saito brushed her comment off as he gracefully went up the stone stairs. "Nonsense my dear. You just need more time to think about it. No one ignores their fate. Now hurry up and finish! You still need to make breakfast and get ready for school."

Tsuki clenched the broomstick as her grandfather continued his rant from the top of stairs. Her face was mixed with sadness and anger. _But I have already chosen my fate. Why can't grandfather see that?_

She looked up at the orange hue sky. _It's not fair. It's not fair at all!_

* * *

"Tsuki!"

Tsuki had been lost in her thoughts about fate and responsibilities when she was pulled back to reality by a shout from a familiar voice. She was at Sarayashiki Junior High aimlessly about to enter the main building when a young girl with two small pigtails called her name.

"Oh, hey Keiko. What's up?" She had known Keiko Yukimura for a very long time, having been close knit friends since primary school.

Keiko walked towards her friend and gave her a tight hug.

"Nothing." Keiko noticed the conflicted look on Tsuki's face, the way she kept biting her lower lip and how her eyes narrowed each time she stared off into space.

"What's wrong with you? You seemed stressed out."

Tsuki sighed as she entered the building. Nothing could get pass Keiko.

"My grandfather was giving me his whole 'family tradition' speech again."

Keiko gave her friend an understanding look.

"Don't worry. Once he sees that you are unhappy with this whole family tradition shenanigan fiasco, he will surely come around."

 _I doubt it, but a girl can hope._ Tsuki could always count on Keiko to try and cheer her up from a dreary predicament.

"How's Yusuke? It's been awhile since I last saw him at school," Tsuki asked wanting to shift from the depressing topic. She honestly didn't want to talk about her grandfather anymore.

Keiko scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that guy? It's been ten days since he came to school. Gah, I'm just wanna kick him where the sun doesn't shine!" Keiko mimed pulling out her hair to further prove how annoyed she was with Yusuke.

Tsuki gave her friend a knowing smile.

"Looks like you are just worried about him. How about you check up on him after school?"

"Maybe I will. I wouldn't mind dropping by his place and giving him a piece of my mind."

 _Yeah, you definitely will._ Even though Yusuke greatly annoyed Keiko, she still had a soft spot for him.

The bell rung, signifying that class was going to start soon, and both girls hurried on to their homeroom.

The girls sat in their assigned seats as they entered their classroom. Keiko's desk was in front of the classroom. Luckily for Tsuki, her desk was by the window in the back corner.

Takenaka-sensei called out the students' names. Predictably, everyone was here except for Yusuke.

"Urameshi?"

No answer.

"Urameshi?" Takenaka-sensei looked around the class. There was no sign of Yusuke in his assigned seat.

Takenaka-sensei sighed and shook his head.

"I swear that boy is going to be the death of me." Tsuki could hear the whole class snickering over Takenaka-sensei's dilemma over his troublesome student. "Alright class, today we are going to start learning about WW2. Everyone turn to page 115. Yukimura, I want you to start reading the first paragraph."

Tsuki was hardly paying any attention to class, seeing as her mind was completely occupied with the impending doom of her fate. She kept looking out the window, thinking about the talk with her grandfather. The old man usually wasn't this persistent. However, ever since the approach of her fifteenth birthday was quickly coming up, his speeches and rants had been more oncoming and consistent.

As she kept looking out the window, she noticed a certain someone was entering the school gate.

Tsuki smirked. _Hm, I guess Yusuke decided to come to school today after all._

After three hours of schoolwork, it was break time. Tsuki decided to go up the roof to get some fresh air. As she entered the door, she noticed Yusuke sitting by the side wall, smoking a cigarette.

"Yo Yusuke! I see that you decided to come to school finally!" Tsuki greeted.

Yusuke narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Tsuki, are you here to annoy me?"

Tsuki leaned in and gave Yusuke a cheesy smile. "Nope, I'll leave that to sensei and Keiko. Besides, I just came here to chill."

She sat down next to him with her legs cross and took a deep exaggerated breath.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Stressed out?"

"It's my grandfather. He keeps blabbing about how I should continue on the Saito family tradition. I mean, I'm already helping out at the shrine. I do not need this extra stress on me!" Tsuki yelled. Her body began to relax as she took another deep breathe. Ranting to a friend was always helpful.

"I just want to have a normal life. I want to graduate from junior high and go to high school and college. I want to get married and have a beautiful wedding. Unfortunately, that's impossible to have if I'm going to pursue this damn family tradition."

Yusuke shrugged. "Well, we can't always have what we want. Life doesn't work that way. Our fate is already determined before we are born. _We_ just decide on how can we cope it. "

Tsuki gave Yusuke a knowing look. She knew Yusuke wasn't raised in a normal household. His bad reputation caused a lot of people to be afraid or hate him. Once you got to know him as a person, you realized he was the kindest soul you could meet.

Yusuke puffed his cigarette and blew out some more smoke. "What is your family tradition anyway?"

 _If only I could tell you._ Tsuki got up and stretch her arms. "It's nothing to be concerned about, Yusuke. It's just a stupid family tradition. Anyways, I need to get back to class. Break time is almost over. Keiko might be-"

"Yusuke!"

 _Too late_. Tsuki waved at her friend.

"Hey, Keiko!"

Keiko ignored her and stood in front of Yusuke, her hands on her hip fuming. "There you are. I have been looking all over for you. You need to see Takenaka-sensei this instant!"

"Hello to you too, Keiko," Yusuke said smoothly as he kept smoking his cigarette.

"Are you smoking again? Smoking is bad for your health you know. Ah! You haven't even changed into your school uniform! What's wrong with you?!"

Tsuki slowly walked away towards the door that led back downstairs to the classrooms. There was no need to stay and watch them argue.

"Takenaka-sensei has been looking for you. If you don't go, I'll be scolded as the class representative!"

"Alright! I'll go! Jeez, you nag too much!"

"Nag too much?! If you keep missing school you'll-"

Tsuki closed the door and went downstairs. She spotted her classmates hiding in the corner.

"Oh hey, uh why are you guys hiding?"

The girl with short hair and glasses spoke, "Because Urameshi is scary. He looks like he's going to kill somebody."

Tsuki waved her hand at them, disregarding her classmate's comment.

"You're exaggerating, Yusuke is not at all a bad person. He's just rebellious."

 _Just like me._ Tsuki remembered what Yusuke said to her. If they decided their own fate, would they have a normal life like everyone else?

"Besides, Keiko is straightening him up right now," Tsuki said as she walked passed the two girls.

"I'm going back to class. I'll see you guys there."

* * *

"Tsuki, dinner is ready!"

Tsuki came into the dining room dress in a plain white t-shirt and black sweatpants. She had just finished taking a shower, and a white towel was wrapped around her damp black hair.

After her tough training with her grandfather, Tsuki decided that a nice hot shower would help relieve her sore muscles.

Tsuki sat down, prayed, and held her wooden chopsticks. Tonight they were having chicken ramen for dinner.

"Itadakimasu!" Both of them exclaimed.

"So, have you given it any more thought?" Grandfather Saito asked as he sipped his green tea.

Tsuki slurped her noodles.

"Yes, I did."

"And?"

"My answer is still no."

Grandfather Saito slammed his tea cup down on the wooden table, causing some of the liquid to spill out of the cup.

"What?! If your mother and grandmother were hearing this, they would be rolling in their graves right now!"

Tsuki sighed, rolling her eyes as she did so. Her grandfather never failed to repeat himself with the same threats. She was tired and needed to study for her upcoming exams. She was not ready to have a full fledged argument with her grandfather.

She was about to cut him off when her cell phone began to vibrate. Tsuki took the phone out of her pocket and checked the caller I.D. It was Keiko.

"Grandfather, hang on a second. I need to take this," Tsuki said as she stood up, glad for a reason to leave the dinner table.

"Come back here you ungra-" Tsuki closed the shoji and went outside into the backyard. The moon was shining brightly in the dark sky.

She quickly answered her phone. "Hello? Keiko?"

"T-tsuki, it's Y-yusuke. He...he's dead!"

"Wait, what how?!" Millions of things raced through Tsuki's mind. Was he killed by a gang? Police? Mafia?

After five minutes of crying, sniffling and incoherent babbling, Keiko finally was able to muster a comprehensive answer, "He...he..d-died in a car accident, saving a little b-boy...His...his mother is having a memorial tomorrow...at her a-apartment. Tsuki...would you come with me?"

Tsuki began wiping away tears. "Of course I'll come with you, Keiko. Yusuke was my friend too. Get some rest. I'll come by your house so we can walk to school together."

Keiko sniffled some more. "T-thank you...T-tsuki. I'll...I'll see you t-tomorrow."

Tsuki hung up the phone as more tears began to fall from her eyes. Even though Yusuke had a bad reputation, deep down inside, he was still a good person, especially towards people that he cared for.

 _Damn, Yusuke. Why did you have to die?_

* * *

Most of Yusuke's schoolmates and some teachers attended his memorial. Tsuki and Keiko bowed to an absent-minded Astuko Urameshi as they entered her apartment. It appeared she was still in shock over the sudden death of her only son.

"I am sorry for your lost. Yusuke was a good friend," Tsuki said. It was always a sad occasion to see a mother bury her own child.

Astuko nodded at the girls.

"Thanks for coming, it definitely means a lot to him."

The girls stood by the memorial. Tsuki held back her tears as she examined Yusuke's picture. She remembered the times when she, Yusuke, and Keiko went to eat ramen at Yukimura's diner after school. How she laughed when Keiko hit Yusuke for doing something stupid, which was quite often. How she always came with Keiko to check up on him when didn't attend school. Now, he was gone. Just like that.

She could hardly believe that yesterday they were having a talk about fate on the school roof, and how fate had cruelly cut off his young life so quickly.

Tsuki closed her eyes and prayed. _Rest in peace, Yusuke. May your next life be filled with joy, love, and happiness._

As they finished praying, they began exiting out of the apartment as others waited for their turn.

They were out the door when Keiko stopped walking.

Tsuki gave Keiko a worried look. Between the both of them, Keiko was taking Yusuke's death extremely hard. After all, she met and played with him first.

Tsuki put a hand on Keiko's shoulder. "Keiko?"

Keiko began to shake, tears streaming down her brown eyes. "Yusuke, I can't believe it. He's really gone. I shouldn't have yelled at him. I shouldn't-"

Tsuki gave her friend a tight hug as Keiko continued to cry. "It's okay, Keiko. I'm here."

A woman and her son began to enter the apartment. The boy had a patch on top of his forehead.

 _That must be the little boy he saved._ Tsuki gave out a somber smile. _At least Yusuke died as a hero and will be remembered as one._

She tapped Keiko's shoulder. "Hey Keiko, lets-" Tsuki paused mid sentence when she noticed a familiar face.

Tsuki eyes widened. _Wait, what Yusuke?!_

Yusuke Urameshi was floating in midair, looking at his memorial. There was a lot of confusion, hurt, and sadness across his face.

Tsuki was in disbelief. _Isn't he suppose to be in the Spirit World? Don't tell me he's a lost soul!_

Yusuke turned his head, making eye contact with Tsuki.

Tsuki quickly look away, feeling very uneasy. _I hope he didn't see me staring at him. This is bad._


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you KuramaShadowFox and Oria-sama for reviewing chapter 1. I appreciate the comments. I am glad the first chapter was a good starter for guys ^^

A few notes: I couldn't find Keiko's mother and father name. So I have made both of their names up.

Once again, this story is rated M for violence, explicit language, and scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't owe Yu Yu Hakusho. All copyrights to the manga and anime go to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only have rights to my plot and OCs.

Enjoy everyone!

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

* * *

"How are you coping with Yusuke's death?" Keiko's mom, Asako, asked as she poured Tsuki some White tea.

They were in the living room, sitting on a large sofa as they waited for Keiko to come downstairs. Keiko's father, Akio, had already left to open their family restaurant.

"I am okay," Tsuki said as she sipped her tea. "It just hurts losing a friend. But I know Yusuke doesn't want me or Keiko to grieve too much. How's Keiko doing?"

Asako sighed.

"She barely said a word to us. Last night I asked if she wanted anything to eat. She declined and said she was going to bed. "

"Well, I am still here. I don't know if we can ever get over this, but we will pull through this together."

Asako smiled.

"Thank you, Tsuki. I am glad she has a friend like you."

"Tsuki, I am ready!" Keiko said as she came downstairs. "Sorry that I took so long."

She kissed her mother's cheek.

"Mom, I'll see you later."

"Okay, sweetie. You girls be safe."

As they headed towards Atsuko's, Tsuki could see dark black circles under Keiko's eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Tsuki asked.

Keiko shrugged. "Only a few hours. Yusuke's death was so...sudden, you know? It's still hard to believe that he is gone when I was just arguing with him to go see Takenaka-sensei."

Tsuki couldn't blame her. For Keiko, it seemed like the world was turned upside down. She was shocked and angry that through all he had been through, he died a tragic death.

For Tsuki, It felt like a piece of her heart was torn away and burn into ashes.

When she told her grandfather about Yusuke's sudden death, all she could do was be pessimistic. Yusuke's death reminded Tsuki too much of her own mother's death.

Tsuki will never forget how her grandfather gave her a hard stare and simply said;

" _As priests, we must understand how life works. Human beings cannot escape from death. No matter if their karma outweighs the good and bad. Just like birth, death is casual and sometimes unexpected, however, we must let it flow. Yusuke chose to save that kid. If he didn't save the boy, he probably wouldn't have died that day. But what about tomorrow? Or the next day? Think and act on the time now than worrying about the future and the past."_

In a sense, Tsuki understood what her grandfather was saying. Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Yusuke's death would definitely be one of her saddest memories, especially after seeing his lost expression at the memorial.

Tsuki thought long and hard of telling Keiko on what she saw. However, she decided to keep it a secret. She didn't want to Keiko to think that she was crazy with her ability to see spirits.

After ten minutes of walking, they made it to Atsuko's apartment. It was oddly quiet with no one else on the street. The girls could only hear the sounds of birds chirping as they flew through the morning sky.

Keiko knocked on the door.

"Hey, Atsuko. It's me, Keiko. Tsuki is here with me too," Keiko called out, hoping she was awake inside.

Silence.

Keiko knocked on the door again.

"Atsuko, please wake up!"

There was still no answer.

Keiko turned on the knob. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. The girls looked at each other with a worried expression before entering the apartment.

The living room was messy. The brown table was flipped over. Garbage and different brands of sake bottles were scattered everywhere as Atsuko laid drunkenly by Yusuke's coffin.

Keiko closed the door as Tsuki touched Atsuko's shoulder.

"Hey Atsuko, it's me, Tsuki. Please, wake up."

After a few slow and sloppy movements, Atsuko finally opened her eyes. She touched her forehead as she looked around the living room.

"Hi Keiko and Tsuki."

Atsuko lazily got up and brushed away her messy hair from eyes. Her green sweater and blue jeans that she wore from yesterday had become dirty from her sweat and liquor.

"I just had the strangest dream that Yusuke was here. He was yelling and calling me a drunk fool," Atsuko said as she chuckled. Tears began to form under her red eyes. "Sounds just like my Yusuke."

Tsuki gave her a sad look.

"How are you?"

"I'll live. How are you girls doing?"

"We are fine," Keiko said as she stepped forward. "We just wanted to check up on you."

Atsuko nodded as she looked at the clock.

"I appreciate you girls coming to see me, but you should be heading to school. Yusuke is not going to be cremated until Friday. You can say your final goodbyes then."

Tsuki and Keiko bowed.

"We will be back soon. Call us if you need anything," Keiko said.

Atsuko nodded and grabbed an open sake bottom from Yusuke's coffin. Without thinking of getting a cup, she put the bottle into her mouth and began chugging the liquor.

Not wanting to see her drink her depression away, Tsuki and Keiko quietly exited out of the apartment.

* * *

Today's class was really slow. Takenaka-sensei seemed dazed and unmotivated to teach the class. Yusuke's unforeseen death was too distracting for him.

Takenaka-sensei spoke, "Alright class, I know we had to say goodbye to Urameshi yesterday."

Tsuki looked around the room. From what she noticed, no one seemed to really care about Yusuke's death except for herself, sensei, and Keiko.

"It was a sad day. However, we have to get back to our studies. Lee, please read the last paragraph of page 211 in our history book."

"Yukimura and Saito, may I speak with you?" Takenaka-sensei asked after he dismissed the class from break.

The girls sat in front row desks as Takenaka-sensei began to speak.

"Now, I know you two were really close with Urameshi. If you guys need to speak with a counselor, take a break from class, anything. Please, let me know."

"Thank you, Takenaka-sensei. We appreciate your words."

"Urameshi was very courageous for saving that little boy. He was not the best student but he had potential. All I wanted was the best for him. "

Before Tsuki could speak, she spotted a person outside the classroom's window. She was going to brush it off until she realized that her classroom was on the third floor.

Tsuki looked out the window again and gasped. Yusuke was staring at them with a curious expression on his face.

 _Yusuke?! What are you doing here?!_

They made eye contact again. This time, Tsuki didn't look away.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Saito?" Takenaka-sensei asked. He and Keiko were staring at her curiously.

Tsuki broke eye contact and looked at her teacher.

"Nothing, sensei."

Takenaka-sensei stared at her for a few seconds, unconvinced but let it go.

"Good, now you girls enjoy your break. Take a longer one if you need to."

Tsuki looked at the window as she got up. Yusuke wasn't outside anymore.

"What was that all about?" Keiko whispered as they left the classroom.

"Nothing," Tsuki said. She needed to figure this situation out for herself.

* * *

Tsuki lit up two sage incenses and placed them on top of the golden holder. The earthy and tangy smoke was helping her clear the negative thoughts and feelings stemming from Yusuke's death. After finishing up her chores, Tsuki decided to enter the Saito's honden.

The honden was the most sacred building in the Saito shrine. The building was located at the rear end of the shrine with large wooden doors that were usually kept closed and sealed. Only priests entered the honden to perform rituals for the guardian spirit.

Usually, her grandfather performed rituals to receive protection, spiritual messages, and blessings. Today, however, Tsuki needed to ask the spirit for some much-needed help.

After the memorial and school, she couldn't stop thinking about seeing Yusuke's spirit form. Theoretically, when a person dies, they are supposed to enter the Spirit World. There Koenma determines their fate into the afterlife.

Judging from Yusuke's earlier sighting at his own funeral, Yusuke didn't make it to the Spirit World. In fact, Tsuki believed that Yusuke was a lost soul, which was a whole other headache she had to deal with.

The reasoning behind lost souls is that they did not find peace within themselves, they will stay in their predicament forever. Going by this logic, Tsuki assumed due to the sudden death of Yusuke, and at such an early age, he could not come to terms with his death.

Tsuki took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke as it went inside her body. She began to relax as her body started to harmonize with her mind and spirit.

In front of her, there was a black small table that was filled with white and red candles. In the middle of the table, was an offering of a handball. The handball was garnished with a sakura flower.

Behind the table stood a large earth green stone of a two-tail fox. The fox was in a sitting position, peering straight down at the altar.

Tsuki picked up her divine bells from the wooden floor. The golden bells were structured as a three-tier set, dangled by a coiled brass upon a red rod.

She began to shake it from side to side, causing the bells to jingle.

"Spirit guardian of the Saito tribe, I call upon you to assist me with my troubles. Spirit, please come forth and grant me my wish."

The stone fox's stone eyes began to glow bright white. Tsuki could see the stone structure starting to shake.

She steadied herself.

"Spirit, I release you!"

A large white ghostly orb flew out of the stone and landed right in front of Tsuki. Slowly, the orb began to transform into its fox form.

The fox spirit stood about 6 ft tall. She had beautiful ivory fur with two gray spots coated at the end of her two long and fluffy tails. Golden bright eyes pierced through Tsuki's brown eyes, looking through her soul.

Tsuki bowed down towards the spirit.

"Welcome, Inari."

The fox leaned in and sniff her. After a few sniffs, the fox playfully growled and licked Tsuki's face.

Tsuki laughed and hugged her friend.

"It's been a while Inari. Did you miss me?"

Inari growled. The handball rose from the table and levitated right in front of Inari's head.

The fox spirit rolled over, moving side to side. The handball bouncing up and down.

Tsuki laid her hands on top of Inari's stomach, rubbing the spirit's belly up and down.

"I will play with you later," Tsuki said as she continued to massage Inari's stomach. "But I need your help. My friend is in trouble."

Inari nodded and rolled back to a sitting position.

"My friend Yusuke died yesterday. I saw his soul floating about at the funeral. Would he be able to make it to the Spirit World?"

The fox knelt down and touched Tsuki's forehead. All of Tsuki's past memories flooded into the spirit's mind.

After a few seconds, the fox shook her head.

Tsuki gave her spirit a confused look.

"What? Why? It shouldn't be that hard to bring him to the Spirit World."

The fox leaned in and touched Tsuki's forehead again. The spirit's soft words filled her mind.

 _Not possible. Different destiny. You'll be part of it soon._

The fox licked Tsuki's face one last time before turning back into a ghostly form. She slowly floated up and went back inside her stone. The stone eyes stopped glowing.

Tsuki stood in place. Unsure of what the spirit had told her.

 _I am going to be part of what? What does that mean?_

* * *

Tsuki was in her room getting ready for school. She was about to put on her white socks on when she heard her phone ring.

"Hello?" Tsuki said after she pressed the answer button.

"Hi, Tsuki! This is Keiko's mother. Keiko is not feeling well today. Would you mind dropping off her homework?"

Tsuki sighed. She did notice Keiko's cheeks were crimson and hot when they were walking to her place from Yusuke's memorial. Keiko also told her that she had a major headache and just needed to get some rest.

"Yes, I can do that. I will drop it off right after school."

"Thank you, my dear. I'll see you soon."

Tsuki hung up and flopped down on her bed. She took a deep breath and counted to five as she stared at the white ceiling.

First, Yusuke died in a car accident, then her spirit guardian told her that she's going to be part of some sort of adventure, and now Keiko was sick.

 _Could things get any worse?_

* * *

Tsuki was just three blocks away from her junior high school. Knowing that the bell was going to ring soon, she picked up the pace.

When she turned the corner, she didn't expect to see Yusuke floating in front of the main school entrance.

Tsuki stopped walking. This couldn't be happening right now. Other Sarayashiki students were easily passing him to go to their classrooms. They were laughing, talking, and gossiping. No one but her seemed to notice Yusuke.

Yusuke turned around and made eye contact with Tsuki. He flew above the students and landed right in front of her.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Yusuke spoke.

"Tsuki?"

Tsuki ignored Yusuke and walked passed him as if he was nothing but air. Friend or not, she was not ready to speak to a ghost right now.

Yusuke quickly appeared right into her face.

"Hey! I know you can hear me! I saw you watching me at the memorial and inside the classroom!"

Tsuki picked up her pace as she entered the school grounds. _Damn it, he did see me!_

Yusuke frantically moved his arms up and down as Tsuki walked pass him again.

"Tsuki! Tsuki!"

 _Tsuki Saito, just ignore him. He'll go away if you just keep ignoring him._

To her dismay, he didn't go away. Yusuke followed her all the way inside the school and into the classroom. Tsuki quickly sat down in her seat as the final bell rang.

In the beginning, she could handle Yusuke. All he was doing was talking to her. After that, however, he started to yell directly into her ears. Now, he had proclaimed he was about to start singing which might just push her over the edge.

"Alright Tsuki, I'm going to start singing caramelldansen," Yusuke said with a smirk. "I'll even do the dance."

After the first few notes, she couldn't take it anymore. Her ears were practically begging him to stop.

Before he could even start dancing, Tsuki suddenly got up and slammed her hands on the desk. The class stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on Tsuki.

Takenaka-sensei cleared his throat to fill in the awkward silence that had suddenly befallen the classroom.

"Miss Saito, do you have something to say to the class?"

Tsuki rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks red as a rose.

"Sorry sensei. I just need to go to the bathroom," She explained rather lamely and quickly dashed out.

"Hurry back!" Tsuki heard him call after her. She could hear the class whispering and snicker as she left. Yusuke happily hovered right beside her as she tried to recollect herself.

After a long awkward silence of not saying anything to one another, Tsuki and Yusuke finally made it to the roof.

Tsuki closed the door and turned towards Yusuke.

"Okay! I can see you. Ever since we made eye contact at the memorial. Why are you here? Why are you not in the Spirit World?" She finally broke.

Before he can answer, a girl flying on an oar landed on the roof.

"Yusuke! There you are! I've been looking for you! Who's your friend?"

The girl had long blue hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail, wearing a light pink kimono with a white sash around her waist. She was 5'8 with purple eyes staring curiously at Tsuki.

"Botan, this is Tsuki. Apparently, she can see me."

Botan gave Tsuki a surprised look.

"You must have a strong sixth sense. Not a lot of people can see the dead."

Tsuki shrugged, seeing spirits since she was born was the norm for her.

"It's not only that. I am part of the Saito tribe."

Botan eyes widened impressed.

"The Saito tribe?!"

She got off from her oar and immediately shook Tsuki's hand.

"Oh my goodness. It's very nice to meet you! I haven't met your grandfather yet, but I have heard very good things about him."

Yusuke gave Tsuki a confused look.

"Explain?"

Tsuki sighed. Due to all that happened in the past few days, she couldn't keep it a secret anymore.

"Yusuke, remember when I told you about my family tradition? For generations, my family were spiritual warriors helping Koenma and his father keep balance to the Demon, Human, and Spirit World."

She paused, making sure that Yusuke was paying attention.

"Ever since I was a child, I have always seen the world different. I could see ghosts, demons, spirits, and human auras. I was scared at first, but my grandfather told me that I was gifted. I had the power to protect, to bless, and to curse."

"Oh, I see. So you are actually a priestess?"

Tsuki crossed her arms.

"In a sense, yes. But I only do shrine duties. I refuse to do anything else. Anyways, what's going with you? What's your situation?"

As Yusuke told her his situation, Tsuki finally realized the reason why he couldn't go to Spirit World. Inari was right. Yusuke had a different destiny.

Tsuki couldn't help but smile at the good news. Her close friend was coming back to the Human World.

"Ah, I see. That's great! Keiko is going to be really happy."

Yusuke took a white egg from out of his pocket.

"Yeah, but I don't know when will this egg hatch. That's why I need to tell my mother to not cremate my body. However, she's too drunk at the moment. If no one knew that my heart was still moving, then my body will be thoroughly cremated by tomorrow!"

Tsuki thought for a moment.

"Yusuke, I'll be happy to help you. But, I think you need to speak to Keiko. Your death has been hard on her. She even got sick today. I'm dropping off her homework after class. Why don't you come with me?"

Yusuke looked at Botan.

"Would that be okay, Botan?"

Botan nodded.

"It shouldn't be a problem as long as he uses the dream passage to convey the message."

"Alright, we will go to Keiko's house after class."

* * *

"Thank you for bringing her homework, Tsuki. It means a lot to her," Asako said as she hugged Tsuki.

"No worries. How is she?" Tsuki asked as she entered the Yukimura household. She took off her shoes and place them on the shoe rack.

"Well, her fever has gone down. But we will see if she wants to go to school tomorrow."

Tsuki smiled happily. She was glad Keiko's was feeling better.

"Would it be alright if I go check up on her?"

Asako nodded.

"Sure, she's probably sleeping but I'm sure she'll love to see you. I have to get ready to help my husband at the restaurant. If I'm not here when you leave, please lock the door behind you."

Tsuki went upstairs and entered Keiko's room.

The room was tidy and clean. Keiko was laying down in her head, sleeping quietly.

Yusuke stood by the door.

"Is there something wrong, Yusuke?" Botan asked, watching Yusuke as he slowly observed Keiko's room.

"It's nothing. It has just been a while since I have seen her room," Yusuke said as he blushed. "Her room has gotten cute."

He went over to Keiko's bedside. "Hey Keiko, can you hear me?"

Keiko eyes were furrowed, frowning as a single tear fell down her eye.

Yusuke dropped his smile. He looked at Tsuki, his eyes filled with worry.

Tsuki walked over.

"I've told you. Your death has been really hard on her."

"Yusuke."

Yusuke, Tsuki, and Botan stood silently.

"Why did you have to die?" Keiko murmured in her sleep. She stirred in her bed as more tears slid down her cheeks. "Yusuke, I'm sorry. Please, don't leave."

Yusuke hands clenched.

"Fool, it's not your fault."

He took a deep breath and touched Keiko's forehead.

"Keiko, can you hear me? This is Yusuke. I need you to get it together. I am coming back. It's hard to explain but I am a ghost right now, and I have to take care of this egg."

Keiko stopped moving. She began to breathe calmly as she continued to listen to Yusuke.

"I need you and Tsuki to take care of my body until I come back. Please tell my drunk mother that I am still alive and not to cremate me!"

Keiko nodded.

"Okay, Yusuke."

"Well, I guess that's it for now," Yusuke said as he wiped Keiko's tears away. "Now, stop crying. I don't want to see you cry anymore."

Keiko lifted herself up from her bed. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were sweaty from her sick body. She looked around her room until she came face to face with Tsuki.

She rubbed her eyes, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Tsuki?"

Tsuki lightly waved at her friend.

"Hey, Keiko."

Keiko looked at Tsuki. Not sure what to say.

"I just had a dream. Yusuke...he's-"

Tsuki nodded her head, understanding what Keiko was saying. "He's alive."

Now knowing her dream was real, Keiko got off of her bed and put on her slippers and robe.

"Let's go."

The girls jogged to Atsuko's apartment. The sun was slowly going down as the night started to spread throughout the sky.

Keiko pounded at the door.

"Excuse me, Atsuko! Please open up!"

After a few curse words and glass bottles being broken, a drunk Atsuko opened the door.

"Keiko…Tsuki...what are you girls doing here?"

Keiko grabbed her shoulders.

"Atsuko, listen to me. Yusuke is still alive. He came into my dreams and told me-"

She stopped her sentence when she became aware that Atsuko was sobbing.

"I know. I opened up his coffin, to give him a final punch. I notice his cheeks were red." Atsuko fell onto her knees and began to wail.

"His heart is still beating. Yusuke, my son. He's still alive."

Tsuki and Keiko hugged Atsuko as she continued to weep. Tears of happiness crept over them. Yusuke was coming home.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hello! Chapter 3 is finally here. I am so sorry for the slow update! I would like to thank everyone for following my story. I definitely appreciate it! ^^ Enjoy! Chapter 4 should be done and uploaded very soon!

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

Disclaimer: I don't owe Yu Yu Hakusho. All copyrights to the manga and anime go to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only have rights to my plot and OCs.

* * *

"Barrier of light, please protect this body from evil spirits," Grandpa Saito chanted as both of his index and middle finger touched Yusuke's forehead and heart.

Tsuki was sitting right next to him, jingling her divine bells over Yusuke's comatose body.

They were now in Yusuke's room, creating a barrier for his body.

"Barrier of light, no evil should pass this barrier."

Atsuko and Keiko watched silently and curiously as Tsuki and her Grandfather performed the ritual.

After finding out that Yusuke was still alive, an excited Tsuki told her grandfather the happy news.

As soon as she was finished with her story, Grandfather Saito suggested that they immediately create a barrier over Yusuke's body.

Even though Yusuke was alive, his soul was still roaming outside of his body. By creating a barrier around his body, so the evil spirits and demons could not enter his unoccupied body.

Yusuke was dressed in a clean pair of white pajamas. His black hair that was usually slick back, was now messy and loose.

Grandfather Saito was dressed in his traditional priest outfit: a white kimono with long red pants.

Since Tsuki had to go to school soon, she simply wore her school clothes.

"By the power of earth, air, water, fire, and spirit, barrier of light, protect Yusuke's body from dangers that threaten him."

A clear spiritual barrier began to slowly form around Yusuke's comatose body. Only Tsuki and her grandfather could see it forming.

The barrier rose and spread through Yusuke's head and feet, creating an oval shape sphere all around his body.

After the barrier was completed, Tsuki stopped moving her divine bells.

"All done," Grandfather Saito said after he finished praying. "His body is now protected."

Atsuko bowed at the priest.

"Thank you so much, I appreciate the help."

Grandfather Saito got up from his sitting position.

"No worries. It is a miracle that this boy is still alive."

"His doctor said it was impossible," Atsuko said, laughing as she remembered his words. "The car should have killed him."

Grandfather Saito furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to stare curiously at Yusuke. There was so much he wanted to say.

"In a state like this, he could either wake up or continue to sleep like this forever."

Atsuko stared warmly at her son. She broke out in an optimistic smile as Yusuke chest slowly moved up and down, signaling life for the young man.

"I don't know what's going on with my son, but I firmly believe he'll wake up soon."

She turned to the girls. "Yusuke is really lucky to have friends like you. It was a blessing that he delivered his message in your dreams."

Keiko shrugged, not trying to take too much of the credit.

"I don't know if Yusuke's message was real. It could have been just a dream after all."

"Relax, have more confidence in yourself. Tsuki had the same dream too. It can't be coincidental."

Tsuki gave Keiko an understanding look. Keiko came from a human world that didn't see demons, spirits, and ghosts. Having a spiritual connection with Yusuke was new and confusing to her.

Keiko didn't know if she needed to trust her instincts or her logical brain.

"We should get ready for school," Tsuki said as she stood up.

"Tsuki, I'll stay and talk to Ms. Urameshi for a bit," Grandfather Saito said as he turned to Yusuke's mother. "Atsuko, if you don't mind, I will like to ask more questions about your son."

"Sure, let's go to the living room. I'll make some tea."

Tsuki watched as Atsuko and her grandfather exited the room. She didn't know what her grandfather's intentions were. He barely spoke to her as they made their way to Atsuko's apartment.

Knowing her grandfather, he was going to tell her about Yusuke soon.

"Keiko, I'm going to the bathroom to freshen up."

Tsuki closed the bathroom door and took a deep breath as her divine bells began to glow.

The bells slowly transformed into a small bracelet. The bracelet was designed with small red beads and a golden fox talisman in the middle.

The jewelry was passed down through all the priestess next in line. When her grandmother passed away, the bracelet was given to her mother. Tsuki was only five when the bracelet was given to her.

She remembered when her grandfather first gave it to her. As soon as she put the bracelet on her wrist, Tsuki instantly felt a strong spiritual connection with it.

Tsuki usually didn't bring it with her to school. However, her grandfather needed her help to create Yusuke's barrier.

She stared at the bracelet and closed her eyes, blocking away the sad memories that continued to haunt her.

* * *

"Tsuki, sometimes I forget that you are a miko. I know that's not what you like to do, but performing that ritual with your grandfather was so cool," Keiko complimented as they continued to walk to school.

Tsuki chuckled at her comment. She had to admit, a priestess duty can be exciting, especially if there wasn't any danger involved.

"Thanks, Keiko."

"Has your grandfather said anything?"

Tsuki shook her head, thanking the heavens that she hadn't heard any of her grandfather's usual rants.

"Not lately. Yusuke's situation has really caught his attention. He told me he had never encountered a case like this before."

"I'm just really happy that Yusuke is alive. Have you heard anything from him lately?"

"No, I haven't."

Keiko put her head down. "Yeah, he hasn't been in my dreams either."

Tsuki bit her lip. She wanted to tell Keiko that she had seen Yusuke's ghost twice. That she had spoken to him before heading to her place. However, she just simply told Keiko that Yusuke came into her dream to tell Tsuki to visit her.

It sucked lying to her friend, but it was the only way to keep her safe and stress-free from the unnatural.

For Tsuki, seeing and interacting with the unnatural while trying to maintain a normal life was stressful.

Ever since she was a little girl, Tsuki learned how to maintain her double life. However, this life made her empty. She felt as she was never really apart of the human world. She felt alone.

Her grandfather had always told her in order for priests to protect, they must make sacrifices. Well, she didn't want to sacrifice her normal life any longer.

Keiko stopped. They were now by the lake that marked the intersection between Yusuke's apartment and their school.

"It is a coincidence that we both received a message from Yusuke. However, I wish I could be certain that he would come back, but I just don't know."

Tsuki gave Keiko a sad look. She didn't like seeing her friend dispirited.

What could they do to keep their minds away from their sadness, trauma, and confusion?

She touched Keiko's shoulder.

"Hey Keiko, let's go to the movies tonight. Through all that's been happening to us, we deserve a girls night out."

Keiko's eyes lit up. "That will be great. It's been awhile since we have done that."

"Great, I'll meet you at your place."

* * *

Grandfather! I am heading over to Keiko's place. We are going to hang out downtown and watch a movie," Tsuki yelled as she put on her small red purse.

After she came home from school, Tsuki took a quick shower and changed into a dark blue skater dress. Her black cardigan was draped over her arm. Since it was cold today, she wore black leggings to keep her lower body warm.

Tsuki could smell the sage essence as she entered the living room.

Grandfather Saito was mediating in the middle of the living room floor. He's been in his lotus position ever since Tsuki came back from school.

She was waiting for him to mention Yusuke, but he just kept quiet as she entered the shrine.

Finally acknowledging Tsuki's presence, he looked up. "What about training?"

Tsuki almost rolled her eyes.

"Grandfather, I have been training with you every day for the past five months. Missing one day will not kill me."

Tsuki body tense up at her comment, waiting for her grandfather to retaliate.

Instead, he replied, "Your friend Yusuke is really fortunate to be given a second chance, especially with Koenma."

"I know, grandfather," Tsuki said. He was extremely lucky. Not a lot of people live the same life twice.

"When I touched that boy, I felt a strong spiritual energy that was hidden within his body. The energy must have been pass down through his generation. I don't know what's going to happened, but I am guessing he's going to release it soon."

Tsuki stood there trying to comprehend what her grandfather told her. Yusuke? Having spiritual powers?

"What do you mean Yusuke is going to release his spiritual powers?"

Ever since she had met and interacted with Yusuke, he had never mentioned or showed any sign of spiritual powers. Why now?

Grandfather Saito ignored her question. He gave her a hard stare.

"Are you going to tell me why you summon Inari?"

Tsuki gulped. Through all that's been happening in the past few days, she forgot to tell her grandfather about that.

"I asked the spiritual guardian if she can help bring Yusuke's soul to the Spirit World. She said it was impossible."

"Why?"

"She said that he had a different destiny."

"And?"

"And I am going to be a part of it."

Grandfather stroked his white beard, lost in his own private thoughts.

"Interesting."

Tsuki shook her head. It was not interesting to her.

"But the problem is, I don't want to be a part of it."

Grandfather Saito gave her a disappointed look.

"You don't even know what's going to happen and you are already deciding your fate already?"

"I know my fate!" Tsuki yelled.

There was silence between them. After a few deep breaths, Tsuki finally composed herself.

"Ever since my mother was killed by that damn demon, I have made a promise to never be in that same predicament."

"My daughter died of honor."

"She died of nothing!" Tsuki whole body shook. She felt her eyes swelling up, but she stopped herself from shedding a tear.

"My mother was only 24! Her life was _just_ beginning! Why can't you see I just want a life where I make my own decisions? I'm tired, grandfather. Sometimes, it kills me waking up in the morning knowing that I will never have the normal experience as a human being. Do you remember what she told you? Before she died?"

Grandfather Saito crossed his arms.

"Of course I remember. Why do you think I'm allowing you to continue on going to school? Aiya told me to make sure you decided your own destiny. She wanted you to have a proper education and be able to have a chance of a normal life before making your final decision."

"That's exactly what I am doing grandfather. I know you want to continue on the Saito tribe tradition. However, I still need time to figure things out on my own. I can't do that if I have to worry about all of my priestess duties."

After a moment of contemplating, Grandfather Saito finally bowed his head.

"Very well. You are right, Tsuki. I should have been more thoughtful. Especially since it was Aiya's final wish."

Tsuki continued to listen.

"I have a proposition. I will still train you until your 15th birthday. However, If you can not properly perform the ritual, you will no longer be a priestess."

Tsuki eyes widened. "Why until the ritual?"

"The heart never lies Tsuki. The ritual will show if you are physically, emotionally, and spiritually ready to be a priestess or not."

Tsuki thought for a moment. Would she be ready? She honestly didn't even know.

"I have to go," Tsuki said as she put on her brown ankle boots. There was nothing left to say.

Grandfather nodded and turned back to his position, continuing with his meditation.

* * *

"Hey Keiko, do you think this pink purse will match with my outfit?" Tsuki asked as she continued to stare at the window.

Her and Keiko were roaming through downtown, window shopping at their favorite clothing stores.

As usual, downtown was crowded with people that wanted to enjoy their Friday evening. The girls had about forty minutes to spare until the start of their romantic comedy movie.

Tsuki was trying to clear her thoughts from the conversation with her grandfather. On the bright side, she felt relieved. All the tension that she was holding back was release. On the negative side, she felt deep down inside, she was making a mistake.

When her mother was born, she never had a chance of a normal life. She had already known that she wanted to be a priestess. When she turned 15, she stopped going to school and focus more on her priestess duties.

Tsuki didn't want to be in the same predicament. Her life was more than being just a priestess.

She shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking about this. Right now she should be enjoying her night out with Keiko who still didn't answer her question.

"Keiko, how about this purse?"

Tsuki turned to Keiko who was dazed out, not really paying attention to her, the clothes, or the environment that they were in.

"Keiko?" Tsuki said. Now she was getting worried.

Keiko stopped daydreaming and gave Tsuki an apologetic look.

"I am sorry, Tsuki. I just had a flashback when Yusuke dragged us to watch a stupid gang movie. We kept telling him it was going to suck, but he insisted," Keiko laughed. "We yelled at him throughout the ending credits."

Silly her, Tsuki forgot that she was not the only one who has to hurt.

"Keiko, I am sorry. I thought-"

"No, no. This is fine Tsuki. I just wish I knew for certain that Yusuke will be alright. I am glad we were able to save his body. But him being in that comatose state scares me. I don't know if he will awaken or-"

Keiko sentenced was cut off short when some strange boy grabbed her breasts from behind.

"Keiko, guess who?" The boy teased as he firmly squeezed her boobs.

Keiko screeched as her face began to turn hot red.

"Yusuke, you idiot!" She fumed.

She turned around and slapped the boy so hard, he fell down on the ground. A big red hand mark was now on his face.

Keiko huffed.

"Oh no, wrong guy."

The boy that she slapped was not Yusuke. He was taller, uglier, and had reddish-orange hair.

Tsuki glared at him, recognizing their school uniform.

"It's a pervert! And he goes to our school. Have you been stalking us?!"

"Ow, that hurt," the boy said as he rubbed his left cheek. "No, it's me! I'm Yusuke!"

"Prove it."

"Tsuki, remember when you were in fifth grade and you tried to kiss Lee but you accidentally fell down and-"

"Okay, I believe you." Tsuki cut in, shuddering as she remembered that horrid day.

Keiko stepped forward, unsure if she was actually talking to Yusuke or an odd perverted stranger.

"Yusuke, is that really you?"

"Listen, don't doubt it. It's not like I had a choice in that matter. I had to borrow someone's body."

Yusuke, who was somehow in someone else's body, looked at the sky. The sun was beginning to fall low into the orange sky.

"Ah! I don't have time to explain. Listen to me! Today is the last day I can communicate with you guys. I need to leave for a while."

"Where are you going?"

"I have to take care of some things before I come back to my body."

"For how long?" Tsuki asked.

"I don't know."

Keiko lowered her head, avoiding Yusuke's glaze as her eyes began to fill with tears.

Yusuke got up and gave her a tight hug.

"Please, don't cry Keiko. This is not the time to get emotional right now. Wait for me. I will be back. Have faith in me."

"I will wait for you, Yusuke," Keiko said after a few sniffles. Her arms tightly wrapped around his back. "I will wait for you, forever."

Yusuke looked at Tsuki.

"Tsuki, please watch out for her when I'm gone."

"You got it."

"I'll be home okay! Wait for me!"

A few seconds later, the boy blinked and looked around. He was unsure what happened or how he ended hugging a crying girl.

Noticing how cute the girl was, the boy gave her a cheesy grin.

"Hey there cutie, please don't cry. Want to go on a date with me?"

Realizing that Yusuke was gone, Keiko slapped the boy again.

Tsuki grabbed Keiko's hand and bowed at the boy.

"Eh, sorry about that. Let's go, Keiko."

As they both ran away from the scene, Tsuki thought about their conversation with Yusuke.

She didn't know what was in store for Yusuke, or how she was going to be part of the journey. Right now, she didn't care. At this moment, she felt certain that she had the power to change the future for the better.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hello! Chapter 4 is here! Thank you for patiently waiting! Enjoy~ :)

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

* * *

 _One Month Later_

Tsuki and Keiko found themselves studying very hard for their upcoming winter exams. The days seem to have flown by so fast since that night Yusuke relayed his last message. It hardly felt real that Yusuke had visited them in someone else's body, asking them to wait. And they had done their waiting, staying occupied at the same time with school studies.

When Atsuko was busy doing her 'errands', Tsuki would often help Keiko clean up her apartment, buy groceries, and take care of Yusuke's body.

However, those days were limited since Grandfather Saito was also training Tsuki for her ceremony.

" _Tsuki from now on, carry your bracelet with you at all times."_

" _Why?" Tsuki asked as she wiped the dirt and sweat off her face._

 _After an hour of sparring, Tsuki and her grandfather were now by the lake near their shrine. They were sitting in lotus position, enjoying the scenery before them. Grandfather Saito was teaching her how to balance and preserve their spiritual energy._

" _Our spiritual powers is a blessing and a curse. Allies find us useful, foes find us threatening. Either way, someone or something will come for your power. Tsuki, your spiritual powers are growing. Demons, spirits and even humans will sense it. From now on, prepare for anything."_

Even though her grandfather's training was making her strained and tired, Tsuki was grateful that he had finally stopped his ranting. The silence gave room for Tsuki to think about her future without the overbearing presence of her grandfather hovering about reminding her of 'family tradition'.

 _If you can not perform the ritual, you can no longer be a priestess._

Tsuki thought long and hard over her grandfather's words. What would she do when she no longer had any obligated duties to her 'family tradition'? Would she finally have the life that she truly desired? Would her grandfather accept that?

Every day, Tsuki dreamed about her life after middle school. She definitely wanted to attend and graduate from high school. For college, she wanted to study music.

When she was a little girl, Tsuki remembered hearing her mother playing the koto. As her mother strummed the strings, Tsuki would hear beautiful and elegant sounds coming from the wooden instrument.

She instantly fell in love when her tiny fingers brush the musical strings. Ever since then, Tsuki knew that she was going play the koto for the rest of her life.

She didn't know how far a music career was going to take her. Maybe she could become a teacher and teach children how to play or join a popular choir. Only time would tell.

For now, however, she just needed to get out of her priestess duties.

* * *

"Hey Tsuki, are you free after school?" Keiko asked.

It was now lunch time. The girls were outside, sitting down on the bench near their gym.

Keiko rubbed the sweat off her forehead as the sun relentlessly shined down upon her fair skin. Today was unbearably hot.

"Do you want to visit Yusuke today? I haven't gotten the chance to check up on him. I've been studying hard for the exams for the past three days. I'm getting a bit worried."

Tsuki dipped her silver spoon into her lunch bowl. She was having chicken curry and white rice for lunch.

"Sure, Keiko. Luckily for me, my crazy grandfather decided to give me the day off today."

She winced in pain as she took a bite of her food. Her muscles were still sore from yesterday's training.

"Is miko training really that extreme?" Keiko questioned as she observed Tsuki's body. She noticed her friend had a band-aid on her right cheek. Plus, some scars and scratches on her leg that Keiko had never seen before.

Tsuki scoffed at her comment. This pain was nothing. She had had worse.

"You can say that. So after school, we will head over to Yusuke's place?"

"Yes, we will walk there after class."

The rest of the evening came by fast as their classes were finally ending for the day.

Tsuki quickly gathered her books and put them inside her backpack. She was about to head over to Keiko's desk, but Takenaka-sensei had already beaten her to it.

"Yukimura, please come see me at my office. I would like to have a word with you."

Keiko nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure, sensei."

Tsuki waited outside as Keiko and Takenaka-sensei conversed. After about 15 minutes, Keiko finally opened the door.

"Thank you, sensei. I will!" Keiko said as she gave him a bow.

She closed the office door behind her and turned to Tsuki.

"Let's go."

Tsuki waited until they were outside the school building to finally speak.

"What did sensei say to you?"

Keiko sighed.

"He told me that our classmates talked to him. They have been worried about me. They think I'm going crazy over Yusuke's death."

Tsuki nodded. Who could blame them? Only a few people knew that Yusuke was still alive.

"I told him everything is fine. I'm just helping his mother out until she gets better. It has been a month since we have last spoken to Yusuke. I wonder when will he be back?"

"I don't even know," Tsuki replied. Yusuke's case was different. She didn't even know how long a soul can stay bonded to their body. "Right now, all we can do is make sure his body is safe when he returns."

Keiko smiled. "Yusuke must be working hard to get his soul back to his body."

Tsuki rubbed Keiko's shoulder.

"I am sure he's doing his best."

As they continued to stroll to Atsuko's apartment, a police car rode past them.

"Attention everyone in the 11th district! This is the Osaka police! We had two fires break out today in this hot weather. We believe it is arson. Please be cautious of any suspicious activities."

Keiko rolled her eyes. "There's always something going on in this neighborhood."

"Right," Tsuki muttered.

Once they made it to the apartment, Keiko knocked on the door.

"Atsuko!"

After patiently waiting for a bit, Keiko used a spare key to open the door.

Tsuki and Keiko quickly covered their nose and mouths. There was a strong odor coming from inside the apartment.

"Ugh, what is that smell?" Keiko said as she entered the building.

Tsuki pinched her nose. The odor smelled like strong alcohol and old garbage.

There was sake bottles, newspapers, and garbage scattered everywhere in the apartment.

"What happened here? I was only gone for three days!" Keiko groaned as she tossed the newspapers aside. She barely had room to stand in the living room.

 _Something doesn't feel right,_ Tsuki thought as she walked slowly and cautiously inside. She shivered as a light breeze made contact with her skin. It was cold. Too cold for a hot day.

Keiko picked up Atsuko's letter from the kitchen counter.

"Hey Keiko, I'm going to be gone for a while, please take care of Yusuke for me."

Tsuki rolled her eyes. She knew Atsuko wasn't the best mother. Yet leaving Yusuke alone _while_ he was in a coma was ridiculous.

"Atsuko is so infuriating sometimes," Keiko screeched as she balled the paper up. "What kind of mother would leave their child like this?!"

 _Why didn't I sense it before?_ Tsuki thought as she continued to search for the evil aura.

Keiko stomped over to Yusuke's room. After a few failed attempts, Keiko was finally able to slide the door open. She gasped when she entered his room.

"This is terrible. Even Yusuke is buried in trash!"

Keiko quickly moved the trash away from Yusuke.

"This is ridiculous! I would nev-"

Bam! A bottle of spilled sake moved in front of Yusuke's room.

"Keiko, are you okay?" Tsuki yelled from the living room.

"Ow," Keiko groaned. "I'm okay, I just fell on top of Yusuke. I swear Atsuko is going to get it when she comes back."

After tuning out Keiko's ranting, Tsuki closed her eyes and concentrated. Where was the evil aura coming from? What could the aura want in-

 _Yusuke!_

Tsuki quickly opened her eyes and headed towards the room.

"Keiko, don't-" Tsuki paused herself and blushed. She didn't expect to see this awkward scene.

Keiko was very close to Yusuke's face, her lips almost touching his. She quickly got up, startled.

"Y-yes, Tsuki?" Keiko asked, her face reddening from embarrassment.

 _Think Tsuki! What can you say to make her leave?_

"Atsuko ran out of cleaning supplies. I didn't see any in the cabinets."

Keiko got up from her awkward position.

"Okay, we can go to the corner store and get some."

Tsuki raised her hands in the air.

"No!"

Keiko took a step back, surprised of her friend's sudden change of tone.

Tsuki rubbed the back of her head nervously as she laughed.

"I mean. No, I'll watch Yusuke and get started on cleaning his room. That way, it will be faster and proficient."

"Okay, I can do that," Keiko said as she exited out of the room. She didn't mind getting the cleaning supplies alone. However, Tsuki was acting strangely.

Keiko eyed her friend suspiciously. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Tsuki patiently waited for Keiko to grab her school bag and exited out the apartment. She knew her friend didn't believe her. Nevertheless, Tsuki was relieved to see her leave.

Once she heard the door close, Tsuki turned her attention back to the room.

"I know you are in here. Show yourself," She commanded as her bracelet transformed into her divine bells.

In the corner of Yusuke's room, a demon slowly became visible. He was crouching near the corner next to Yusuke's body.

He was a medium size goblin with black lizard skin. His ruby red eyes gave Tsuki a surprised look.

"How did you see me?" The demon asked in a raspy deep voice.

"It's not hard to sense a demon that's dying of hunger," Tsuki said, glaring at the creature. "Were you going to wait until the barrier was down? Or kill the priest that created it?"

The demon stared hungrily at Yusuke's body. He tried to touch the body with his crooked claws, but the barrier easily deflected his movement. He clutched his stomach as his belly began to rumble.

"His body...I must have it. That way, I can feed on whatever soul I want," the demon said as his mouth began to water.

Tsuki went into her fighting stance, pointing her divine bells at the creature.

"Sorry demon, but you came into the wrong house. You have two choices: leave or die."

The demon growled, snapping his razor sharp claws out, ready to attack her at any given moment.

"And if I don't obey your orders _human,_ what are you going to do about it?"

A ball white energy formed around Tsuki's divine bell, traveling and swirling around Tsuki's body as she stood firm and ready for the demon. "Then you will die."

"Then you will die."

The demon laughed as if she told him a very funny joke.

"Well then I-"

He leaped forward, aiming his claws towards Tsuki's head.

"Choose to feed!"

The demon gasped when his claws touched her clear barrier.

"Vanish!" Tsuki yelled. A shock of white spiritual energy shot out of her divine bells, hitting the demon in his belly.

The demon screamed as the spiritual electricity continued to fry him. He instantly fell down on the wooden floor, his body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Argh, you bitch. I had a plan, but you ruined it!" The demon screamed as he coughed out black blood. He glared at Tsuki with hatred and disgust.

His skin began to change color. Instead of midnight black, he was now fiery red. He gave Tsuki a wicked smile.

"If I can't have his body, then no one can!"

Before Tsuki could react, the demon's body exploded. Balls of fire rapidly spread throughout the room, two of them hitting Tsuki's right arm and side rib. She fell down instantly.

After a few seconds of catching her breath, Tsuki slowly got up from the impact. Fortunately for her, the barrier help deflect most of the demon's attack. There were some burn marks on her hand and wrist, but she would live.

She turned to Yusuke. There were a few spots of fire spreading through Yusuke's cover.

Tsuki quickly took the covers off. She sighed in relief that Yusuke's body was saved. Thankfully, the barrier helped protect his body.

As the fire continued to spread, black smoke began to fill the room.

Tsuki took a deep breath. One thing she remembered in fire safety, she had to avoid breathing in too much smoke. Smoke kills more people than the actual fire.

To prevent smoke inhalation, Tsuki ripped out her shoulder sleeve and covered the cloth with her mouth and nose. She used the bed sheets to cover Yusuke's body.

Yusuke's room didn't have any windows. The only option for Tsuki to do was to find an escape route into the living room.

Without too much effort, Tsuki was able to pick Yusuke up and put his upper body on top of her right shoulder.

Tsuki was 5'2. Even though Yusuke was taller than Tsuki, her height gave them an advantage to stay clear from the smoke for a while.

"Tsuki!" said a familiar scared voice.

Yusuke flew into the room. Botan right behind him.

"Yusuke!" Tsuki muffled. If she wasn't stuck in a fire, she would definitely be happier to see him.

"What happened?!"

"Some fire demon tried to take over your body. I stopped him, but he exploded and put the apartment on fire. I'm taking your body and getting out of here."

Tsuki began to walk.

The black smoke continued to pour into the living room, collecting the trash that was on the floor.

As she stepped forward, the bottle of spilled sake exploded in front of Tsuki. She gasped as felt the sudden heat, backing away from the new fire.

"Argh, damn it."

Yusuke turned to Botan.

"Botan, can't I get inside my body now?!"

Botan frantically shook her head. "It's not the right time to be in your body Yusuke. We have to call for help! How about Kuwabara?"

"By the time we find him, Tsuki and my body will be burnt to crisp!"

Yusuke turned to his friend.

"Tsuki, just leave my body. I can't have you die for my sake."

Tsuki smiled at Yusuke. It was too late to stop now.

"No, I can't do that Yusuke. I've made a promise that I would protect your body. I'll get you out of here."

Botan tugged Yusuke's sleeve. "Yusuke, we have to find help. Let's hurry."

Yusuke was torn. Either he left to look for help or wait for help to come. After contemplating, he decided to act on his own.

"I'm going to get some help!" Yusuke yelled as he and Botan flew up the ceiling. "Tsuki, don't die on me!"

 _I will try, Yusuke,_ Tsuki thought. The fire was getting worse.

The fire was getting worse. As long as Yusuke and her stayed in this tight, they would be stuck in this fire with no way out.

Tsuki walked into the living room, sidestepping the fire from the sake bottle.

She heard a cracking sound before a wooden plank collapsed behind her. She didn't have the choice but to go forward now.

"Tsuki!"

Tsuki gasped. The familiar voice was coming from the front door.

"Keiko, stay back!"

"Tsuki! I have Kuwabara with me. We are coming in!"

"Keiko, don't it's…" Tsuki coughed hard. Her lungs felt like they were on fire.

As she closed her mouth, her head became dizzy. Tsuki wobbled as she knelt down on the ground. The temperature continued to rise as sweat began to pour down her face and body.

Tsuki almost jolted when a hand touched her shoulder.

Keiko knelt right in front of Tsuki. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Tsuki said, looking at Keiko's worried eyes.

"I can't believe that arsonist came into this apartment! This is unbelievable!"

Tsuki didn't say anything. It was better for them to believe that.

Kuwabara picked Yusuke up, carrying him on his back.

"Urameshi, you are actually alive? How can this be?"

Keiko gave Tsuki some support as they both stood up.

"Now is not the time Kuwabara. We should get out of here now."

The fire was spreading faster. The blaze began to circle around them as they scurried to the exit door. As they made their way through the hot living room, they gasped. The exit was blocked.

Kuwabara growled. "Oh no. Now what?"

Tsuki closed her eyes she couldn't die like this. She wouldn't. Tsuki and her friends were going to survive.

Her bracelet began to glow.

Before she can even use her power, she felt a strong and powerful breeze.

A gush of wind went past them and push the fire away, creating an opening to the front door.

Kuwabara stared in amazement.

"It's a miracle!"

Tsuki smiled. "No, it's Yusuke."

She didn't know how Yusuke did it, but she was grateful for his help.

The fire barely touched them as they hurried through the path.

Kuwabara kicked the front door open.

A crowd of scared and worried adults, anxiously waiting for them.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?"

"They are just kids. Somebody, please call the ambulance!"

Just in time, a fire truck parked in front of the apartment. The crowd began to focus their attention on the truck.

"Finally, the fire truck is here!"

"Hey, there's kids that need help!"

As the crowd was occupied, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Tsuki scurried away.

"We should go. We don't need too much attention right now."

Keiko nodded in agreement.

"Where are we taking Yusuke's body?"

"He can come over to my house." Kuwabara offered. "I'm sure my parents won't mind. It's only a few blocks down from here."

Seeing that they didn't have any other options, the girls agreed.

"Let's go, Kuwabara."

"Follow me."

Kuwabara ran in front, while Tsuki and Keiko followed right behind him.

* * *

"We are here!" Kuwabara huffed as he took a breather. All that fast running while carrying an unconscious body made him tired. "Keiko, can you please get the keys out of my pants pocket?"

"Sure."

Surprisingly, Kuwabara's house was clean and tidy. The house had an inviting, friendly, and cozy atmosphere.

"My parents are still at work. They should be home by tonight."

As they made it to the living room, Kuwabara laid Yusuke's body on the couch.

"Thanks, Kuwabara."

"No worries. I owe Urameshi one anyway."

Tsuki smiled. She didn't know Kuwabara personally. However, he seemed like a cool guy. She was also thankful for him helping Keiko get away from those street punks two weeks ago.

"Sister, I'm home! I brought company!"

A tall and slender woman in her early twenties entered the living room.

She was wearing a white long sleeve button up shirt with blue jeans. Her brown hair was long and straight.

The young woman's brown eyes stared at her brother, giving him a bored and curious expression.

Tsuki blinked twice. Kuwabara's sister was pretty.

"You brought an unconscious body of a young boy and two girls that look like they have been through the hell of fire. Kazuma, what did you do?"

"I didn't do nothing!"

Kuwabara's sister turned to the girls.

"Hello, girls. My name is Shizuru Kuwabara. If my idiot brother did any harm to you, please let me know so I can pulverize him."

"Ah! Stop that! Let me explain!"

After Kuwabara's explanation, his sister calmed down.

"I see," Shizuru said as she lit up her cigarette. "I understand now."

"Gah, mom and dad said no smoking in the house!"

"Calm your nerves, you idiot. I was heading outside. Girls, after I'm done, we can head to my room. I'm sure you ladies will like to have a nice hot shower. Kazu, take care of Yusuke. Make sure he's comfortable."

"Why do I have to do everything?!"

* * *

"One second. You are almost done," Shizuru said as she held Tsuki's hair in a tight bun. "I just need to add one more thing."

After Keiko and Tsuki took a relaxing hot shower, Shizuru offered to do their hair.

She grabbed the two red chopsticks from her vanity dresser, wrapping them around Tsuki's black hair.

Shizuru smiled. "Why, you look so cute."

Tsuki looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was in a low swirl bun. The chopsticks were wrapped and horizontally placed in the bun.

"Oh Tsuki, you look so cute!" Keiko complimented as she exited out the bathroom. Thanks to Shizuru, Keiko's hair was now in a lovely pixie cut. She was wearing a long sleeve brown dress and a street jacket.

"Thanks, Keiko. I'm really digging that outfit."

"I like yours too. It definitely gives you a classy and sensual look."

Tsuki was wearing a long sleeve white sweater with high waisted jeans.

Shizuru smiled at the girls as she put another cigarette in her mouth. "That's my present to you guys."

"Thank you so much, Shizuru."

"Anytime, you girls been through enough already."

Kuwabara knocked and entered the room. He was now dressed in a plain white shirt and sweatpants. He had a phone in his hand.

"Hey sis, mom said to start prepping for dinner."

"Kazu, how do they look?"

Kuwabara dropped the phone. His mouth was wide open at the girls' new makeover.

"Heh, heh, heh, you ladies look so pretty!" He gushed.

"Hey, quit drooling you pervert!" Shizuru yelled. She smiled at the girls. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"No thank you. I've told my parents I would be home before they closed the restaurant."

"Yeah, my grandfather is waiting for me back at the shrine."

"Okay, we will walk you out."

Once they had made it outside, Tsuki and Keiko bowed.

"Thank you for allowing Yusuke to spend the night at your house,"

"No worries. We'll take good care of him," Kuwabara said with a grin. "Just let me know when his mother gets back from her trip."

Shizuru stepped forward as she stared at the night sky. "Huh, interesting."

"Is something wrong Shizuru?" Keiko asked.

"This is the second time I have seen this boy near our house," Shizuru said as she pointed straight up. "I noticed him earlier today when I was smoking a cigarette. Looks like he's just making sure you girls are okay."

Kuwabara stepped in front of his sister.

"You see Urameshi? No fair sis! Tell him I want a rematch when he comes back to his body!"

Tsuki turned around. Yusuke was floating right above them. He smiled and gave Tsuki a thumbs up.

Shizuru smiled at the ghost boy.

"He seems like a cool guy. I know he's going to protect you girls from any harm. Goodnight girls. Be safe."

"Thank you!"

* * *

"Tsuki, I just want to say thank you for protecting Yusuke's body from the fire," Keiko said as they walked the dark streets. "If you weren't there, who knows what would have happened to Yusuke."

Tsuki blushed while she gave Keiko a sincere look.

"Thank you, Keiko, for coming to get me."

Keiko leaned to her friend's shoulder.

"Of course. No matter what happens Tsuki, I will always be there for you."

Tsuki heart skipped a beat. She felt a very warm and lovely sensation that flowed throughout her body. Keiko words meant a lot to her.

"Me too, Keiko," Tsuki said. She meant it.

"How's your hand?"

Tsuki looked at her wrist that was covered tightly in white bandages.

"It stings a little but I should be fine by tomorrow."

"Good! Shizuru is so cool. She's like the older sister I never had," Keiko said as they continued to walk the silent night.

"Right? She really did a great job on your hairstyle, Keiko. You look so womanly," Tsuki complimented.

She was even digging her own look. No wonder Shizuru was a beautician.

Keiko blushed as she lightly touched a strand of her brown hair.

"You think so?"

Tsuki grinned.

"I am sure Yusuke will love it when he sees you."

Keiko blushed.

"T-tsuki!"

"Don't hide from me. I saw what you were doing in his room," Tsuki teased. "What would have happened if I didn't stop you?"

"Ss-stop girl!"

They both laughed, hugging each other as they continued to walk to their destination.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Hello! Chapter 5 is here! So sorry for the delay. Thank you for following and favoriting my story. Thank you, PhoenixVixenRosezeria, My Nyas, and SnowKi for reviewing my story. I appreciate it! :) Chapter 6 should be posted very soon. Please be patient!

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

* * *

"Again."

Tsuki took a deep breath and steadied herself as she stood firmly in her fighting stance. Her divine bells were pointed directly at her grandfather, ready for his attack. They were standing in a large open green field behind the Saito's Shrine main building. It was now 5 o'clock in the afternoon and they had been training since noon.

Breathing heavily, Tsuki watched her grandfather wearily. Despite his age, her grandfather was quick and his strikes were faster than the eye could catch. She wasn't sure if she could handle another powerful blow from him, and her stamina was weakening as the day stretched on.

"Spirit beam!" He chanted. Tsuki watched as a white beam of energy shot out of his white medium size spiritual energy flew rapidly in the air, coming straight at her. There was no time to dodge, and his blast hit Tsuki's clear barrier.

Tsuki groaned from the impact, the force of the blast nearly knocking her breath away. The blast felt like a giant boar ramming into her and she began to feel her strength leave her.

She started to panic when she could hear her barrier cracking under the pressure of her grandfather's beam. Finally, when she felt that it would be easier to just get hit by the beam, her father relented and stopped his chanting. The beam vanished and Tsuki promptly fell down hard into the grass.

"Again."

"Grandfather!" Tsuki huffed. "I have been doing this for an hour! Can't we give it a rest?!" She didn't even raise her head to look at her grandfather, she was beyond exhausted.

"Not until you can withstand a proper blast. A spiritual barrier can protect us from almost any harm. You must learn how to use it to your advantage."

Tsuki's eyebrow twitched. She was hungry, tired, and upset. Today was Saturday and she was supposed to meet up with Keiko three hours ago.

It had been almost two weeks since the fire incident. Atsuko had managed to find a brand new apartment thanks to her various errands she ran.

Keiko had managed to help Atsuko with the move. Today was supposed to be the day where the girls were going to visit Yusuke and make sure that he was okay at his new home.

 _I shouldn't have told him about that damn fire incident_ , Tsuki thought as she slowly stood up, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her grandfather was training her harder that she had ever experienced before, alarmed from her demon encounter in Yusuke's previous apartment.

Finally, she spoke, "I understand that grandfather, but I have my powers under control."

Tsuki watched as her grandfather walked slowly towards her with an amused look, her guard instantly rising in case her grandfather decided she needed a good hit to the head.

"What would have happened if your friends hadn't come in and get you?"

Tsuki gulped. She thought back to when the black smoke went into her lungs. How she felt extremely dizzy when she was kneeling down on that hot floor as the fire continued to spread around her and Yusuke.

"I...I would have figured it out," she said, avoiding her grandfather's gaze. She wished she had sounded more confident, but truly, she was left shaken by the incident.

"You say that but there will not be a next time. Tsuki, stronger opponents will come. I want you to be ready next time." Grandfather causally walked back to his spot.

"Now, again."

Tsuki sighed and got into her fighting stance. Keiko would have to wait a little bit longer for her.

* * *

After her training, Tsuki took a quick hot shower and got dress. She decided to wear a red t-shirt and plain black jeans for the casual day.

She finally decided to call Keiko. She hoped that Keiko wasn't too angry at her tardiness, and surely by now Keiko understood how her grandfather could get.

Tsuki raised her eyebrow as she checked her caller log. She didn't receive any missed calls from Keiko.

 _That's strange. I thought Keiko would have called to check in on me,_ Tsuki thought as she dialed Keiko's number. After a few rings, the call went to voicemail.

 _Hey! This is Keiko. I'm not available to take your call. Please leave your message and I will reach back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!_

" _Huh, interesting,"_ Tsuki muttered, hanging up before the beep for voicemail came on. Keiko usually answered the phone when Tsuki called.

Tsuki redialed her phone number. Once again, it went straight to voicemail. She tried again, the call went straight to voicemail. Tsuki took a deep breath, getting slightly worried. She decided to leave a voicemail.

"Hey, Keiko. This is Tsuki. I'm sorry for getting back to you so late. I'm still available to meet up with you. Call me."

After ending the call, Tsuki decided to take a nap to pass the time. Her sore body needed to recover.

Tsuki was awakened some time later by her phone, and she sat up with a jolt trying to remember where she was. She instantly regretted because her body protested the quick movement and she realized she had been training with her grandfather all day. She checked her phone and was quickly relieved to see that it was Keiko was calling.

"Hey Keiko, do you still want to meet up?"

"Sorry, Tsuki. I should have called you. I'm at the hospital right now," Keiko said in an urgent tone.

"Are you alright?" She asked, hopping out of bed and looking for her shoes. "I'll be there soon!"

"I'm fine. It's my mother. She fainted while she was at work."

"Is she okay?"

"We don't know yet. My dad and I are waiting on the results right now."

"I'm on my way as soon as possible."

"No, that's okay," Keiko said, her voice wavering. "I'm going to be here for a while. I don't even know if I'm planning on seeing Yusuke today. It's already 8 o'clock. "

"Don't be silly Keiko," Tsuki said. "I don't mind being there with you. I'll tell my grandfather. He should be okay with me visiting you.

There was a brief pause before Keiko finally answered, "Alright, I'll see you soon. Thank you, Tsuki."

Tsuki hung up and sighed. It felt that there was a lot of negative energy floating about and plaguing the people around her. It was bad enough that they had to endure a fire two weeks ago. Now Keiko's mother was in the hospital. As Tsuki stepped out the front door, she hoped for happier days to come.

* * *

"Excuse me, I am looking for Yukimura's room," Tsuki exclaimed to the hospital receptionist. She was carrying two cups of steaming hot green tea and thought it would be a nice gesture for Keiko. The receptionist nonchalantly looked at the room board and pointed down the hallway.

"Room 311. Straight down to your right."

Tsuki quickly thanked the lady, and made her way to the room, knocking on the door gently with her foot. To her surprise, the door had been slightly open and the door opened slightly.

"Keiko?" Tsuki peeked inside, slowly entering the room. The room was silent and dark and she began to panic. She spotted Keiko's figure resting peacefully on a chair next to her sleeping mother who was laying down on the hospital bed and quickly calmed down.

Putting the how drinks on the night stand, Tsuki slightly shook Keiko's shoulder to wake her. Keiko slowly opened her eyes and yawned. Her eyes landed on Tsuki and a smile lit her face.

"Hey Tsuki," she said as she stretched her arms in the air. She was wearing a pretty white dress that put an emphasis on how brown and silky her hair was. Tsuki smiled and gave her friend the green tea. Keiko eagerly accepted the drink.

"Thank you."

"How is she?" Tsuki asked. She noticed Asako had a huge bandage on her left wrist.

Keiko sadly stared at her sleeping mother as she sipped her drink.

"Overworked with a flu. My dad said she looked very sick when she was working. The doctors took more tests just to see if she might have pneumonia, but they say she should be fine."

Tsuki grabbed a spare chair from the corner of the room and sat down next to Keiko.

"My father says hi by the way. He was here but he had to go back to work. He told me to go home but I decided to stay. I just wanted to make sure my mother was alright." Tsuki nodded, understanding that Keiko was just the type of person who could sit idly by as her mother rested in the hospital.

"How are you feeling?" Tsuki asked as she sipped her tea. She noticed Keiko's cheeks were puffy and red.

"Honestly, I'm feeling like there has been a ton of weight on my shoulders lately. These past few weeks have been stressing me out. Not only do I have to worry about school, but I have to make sure that my mother and Yusuke are okay."

Tsuki nodded, listening attentively to her friend.

She continued, "I know you are probably feeling the same way Tsuki. Are you okay? I've noticed you've been exhausted at school for the past few days. You even slept throughout Taneka-sensei's lecture. Your grandfather isn't being too hard on you right?"

 _No, I'm not okay. My life is getting crazier each and every day. I feel like there's a lot of pressure on me,_ Tsuki thought. Tsuki couldn't bear to tell Keiko this, and cause her more distress.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Everything has just been a bit hectic for me. But it's nothing that I can't handle," Tsuki smiled, reassuring her friend.

Deep down inside her heart, Tsuki was scared. Her normal life was falling apart, but she didn't want Keiko to worry. Keiko had her own problems to deal with.

Tsuki slumped in her chair, releasing tension from her sore muscles.

"I just want my life to be normal again."

Keiko got out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Tsuki.

"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here for you Tsuki."They both hugged each other, taking comfort that they could rely on each other to be there for one another.

"Thanks, Keiko," Tsuki said as she hugged her friend tighter. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, Tsuki."

"How's Yusuke by the way? Sorry that I couldn't help Atsuko move to her new place."

"He's fine. Luckily, the fire didn't cause any damage to his body. Thanks for being there. Kuwabara was able to help bring in new clothes for Yusuke."

"That was nice of him," Tsuki said with a smile, Kuwabara was really a good guy. Sometimes,

Tsuki would see Kuwabara at school. They would greet each other and talk like they were old friends. He reminded her of Yusuke. He was just a misunderstood but sweet boy.

Keiko's eyes lit up suddenly, startling Tsuki.

"Oh! That reminds me. I've seen Shizuru when I went grocery shopping with my mom. She says hi. She wanted to know if we wanted to go shopping with her soon."

Tsuki smiled. "That would be great." She missed Shizuru. Shizuru was like an older sister that she never had. Keiko bit her lip, pushing to prevent her next question from coming out.

"Are you alright?" Tsuki asked as she observed her nervous friend.

"Tsuki, did you have a strange dream last night?" Keiko blurted out.

"No," Tsuki grumbled. Her grandfather trained her extra hard on Friday. Right after she came back from school. "I was so exhausted last night, I don't know if I even _had_ a dream."

Keiko lightly blushed, nervously squirming in her seat. "Well, I had a dream that I kissed Yusuke."

"Well, you _do_ have a strong attraction towards him," Tsuki teased. "I'm not the slightest bit surprised that you had a dream about him."

Keiko shook her head, her face turning redder than a cherry tomato.

"Not like that! This dream was different! His whole body was glowing. I kissed him and then he suddenly opened his eyes."

"Oh," Tsuki blinked. Yeah, that was definitely different.

"Right? He literally opened his eyes and got up. I didn't know it was a sign or not, but after we were done talking on the phone, I tried to call Atsuko to see if Yusuke was okay. She didn't answer."

Tsuki rolled her eyes. "You know how Atsuko is. She's probably busy."

"I know but," Keiko furrowed her eyebrows. "I am getting worried. There still hasn't been any sign of Yusuke yet. I just want to make absolutely sure he's okay. I don't want another fire incident again."

"You're right. We promise Yusuke we would look after him," Tsuki agreed. She haven't seen or talked to Yusuke since the fire. She was getting a bit worried too. "What do you want to do?"

"Well-" Before Keiko could answer the question, there was a knock on the door.

"Yukimura?" The doctor said as he entered the room. He had a brown clipboard in his hand. Keiko got up from her chair and looked at the doctor anxiously.

"Yes?"

"The tests results came out negative. There is no sign of pneumonia. It looks good but we will still monitor her for the night. As long as she rests properly tonight, she'll be okay."

Keiko bowed to the doctor. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Tsuki breathed a sigh of relief. She was happy to hear that Asako was going to be okay.

"Since she had taken some codeine two hours ago, she won't be waking up today. You can wait here for the test results but we can just call you when it's ready."

The doctor left the room, closing the door behind him.

Tsuki saw the relief that flooded Keiko, and felt that her hopes were finally being answered.

Keiko turned to Tsuki, tears brimming her eyes.

"I'm going to call Atsuko again. Who knows? The dream was probably just a dream," she exclaimed, feeling more light-hearted than she did moments ago

"Yes, you should. In the meantime, I'm going to go to the bathroom. Then, we can figure out what we need to do."

"Okay, the bathroom is down the hall on your left-hand side," Keiko said as she dialed Atsuko's number.

Tsuki exited out of the room and made her way towards the bathroom. Before she made it however, she decided to get some water from the faucet. As she sipped the fresh cold water, she thought about Keiko's dream. Was it a coincidence? Or had Keiko just had one of her fantasy dream? Something was up.

"Tsuki!" Tsuki almost choked on the tap water. Yusuke and Botan were now in her presence.

"Yusuke! Botan!" Tsuki exclaimed. She didn't know if this was coincidence but those two had always caught her off guard. "What are you doing here?"

Yusuke flew to her face. "There's no time to explain. Tsuki, I need you to kiss me." Tsuki almost gagged.

"Yusuke, I'm not going to kiss you."

"Why not?!"

"Because that's gross."

"I'm not asking you to make out with me. I'm asking you to revive me woman!" Yusuke screeched as he rapidly moved his arms up and down.

"Still," Tsuki said as she scratched her head. "I feel weird doing that."

"Oh for the love of-"

"For heaven's sake!" Botan flew past them, heading directly towards Asako's room.

"Botan, where are you going?" Yusuke questioned the soul reaper.

The two both watched as Botan entered the room, leaving the clueless teenagers behind.

Yusuke growled. "That damn Koenma. Why do I have to let someone kiss me to get back to my body?"

Tsuki raised her eyebrow. "Why kissing?"

"Getting kiss by a living being will help bring life back into my body. I didn't know it would be so difficult to find someone that could kiss me!"

Keiko came busting out of the room, running towards Tsuki.

"Tsuki, we need to go now. We need to revive Yusuke!" She tightly grabbed Tsuki's wrist, tugging her into the elevator. Keiko quickly pressed the first floor button.

They jumped in and the elevator door closed behind them. Keiko faced Tsuki, they were within arm's reach of one another and Keiko took a deep breath.

"My mom just talked to me. She told me my dream was more than just a dream. I have to revive Yusuke by kissing him."

 _So that's what Botan did_ , Tsuki thought.

"Then let's go!"

As the elevator door opened, the girls immediately ran out of the hospital. Luckily for them, Yusuke's new home was only ten blocks away.

The girls ran in the dark cold night. They did not stop until they reached the apartment complex.

As they made it to the building, Keiko pressed the elevator button. The elevator was slowly making its way down the seventh floor.

Losing her patience, Tsuki pointed at the stairway.

"Keiko, let's take the stairs!" The girls rushed up quickly through the staircase. They had been running for so long but no one felt like giving up on this important manner.

They were ecstatic when they finally made it to the six floor. They were only a few steps away from Yusuke's room.

As they stood in front of apartment number #601, Keiko scrambled through her brown pouch to find the apartment spare key. She didn't even bother removing her shoes, running straight to Yusuke's room.

"Yusuke!" She yelled.

"Yusuke!" Tsuki was trailing behind her, trying to catch her breath.

When she entered Yusuke's room, Keiko was already removing her lips from his. The girls sat in silence. They could hear the clock ticking in the distance as they waited for Yusuke to wake up. Keiko eyes began to water. Did the kiss not work?

"Am I too late?" She said, her voice cracking.

Suddenly, Yusuke eyes began to open, blinking as if he have woken up from a long sleep.

Keiko and Tsuki gasped.

Yusuke lifted himself up, giving Keiko a cheesy grin. He had lost some weight and his hair was messy. However, he still looked like his normal self.

"Hey Keiko. Nice kiss," Yusuke said shyly as he blushed. "Your hair is pretty too."

Tears of happiness began to fall down Keiko's puffy face. She couldn't believe it. Yusuke was back home.

"Oh, Yusuke!" She reached and wrapped her arms around Yusuke's warm body, smiling as he instantly hugged her back.

Tsuki wiped her tears as she stared at her childhood friend. Yusuke was the first person she ever told her Saito tribe secret to. The boy who saved them from the fire. Now, her old friend was back. But somehow he was different.

Tsuki could see a new blue aura swirling around Yusuke's body, invisible to the naked eye. She had never seen that aura before.

Her eyes widened. Her grandfather was right. Yusuke powers were emerging, slowly but surely.

Yusuke looked at Tsuki and winked. There was so much that needed to be said between them, but right now it was time to celebrate.

* * *

"Yusuke, I want you to call me tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock. Not 10 o' clock. 8 o'clock in the morning. "

"Yes, ma'am."

Keiko swatted Yusuke's shoulder.

"Don't you "yes, ma'am" me. I don't know when Atsuko is going to be back from her trip. I want to make sure you are okay for the weekend."

Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll call you. Geez, I just got back from my body and you are already nagging me."

They were outside of Keiko's house. The porch light was on as they stood in front of the door. Keiko ignored his comment and hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad you're back, Yusuke," Keiko whispered. Seeing and hearing his voice brought warmth to her heart.

After they broke from their hug, Keiko hugged Tsuki.

"Good night, Tsuki."

"Good night, Keiko," Tsuki said, patting her friend's back comfortingly.

"Remember Yusuke, 8 o' clock. Keiko waved a final goodbye and closed the door behind her.

Yusuke and Tsuki headed to the Saito Shrine.

"Tsuki, thank you for watching over her," Yusuke said after they casually walked a few blocks.

Tsuki smiled.

"No problem Yusuke. I am just glad that you are back," she paused. "How was it like being out of your body?"

"It was fun. The only downfall was that I couldn't yell or punch at the people that were irritating me and there were quite a few."

Tsuki laughed. It felt great having her friend back.

"Did you tell Keiko anything?"

Tsuki shook her head.

"Keiko only knows and understands the Human World. I didn't even tell her about my family secret. I'm keeping it that way. It's for her safety."

"I see," Yusuke's said as he stared at the night sky. "Was that the reason why you were hesitant to tell me?"

Tsuki stopped in her tracks. They were near the Saito's shrine stairwell.

"Yes. Yusuke, ever since I was a little girl, I've always felt alone. I had never told anyone my secret. What normal human being could possibly understand a girl with spiritual powers that already had a foreseen destiny? When I first met you and Keiko, I didn't think about the Saito tribe. I didn't think about my fate. I felt free from the burden and just enjoyed your company. That friendship alone made me determine to decide my own fate."

Yusuke nodded.

"I get your point. Being outside of my body made me realize there's more to it than just the Human World. Even if I cannot grasp it right now, I know life didn't leave me stranded. I know I was destined to do something in this world. That's why I got revived, right?"

Tsuki gave her friend a hard stare, remembering Inari's wise words.

"Yusuke, it's not over yet."

"I know," Yusuke said as his brown eyes turning serious. "When I woke up, I felt different. I feel a new source energy bursting through my body. I don't know what that means, but I'll be ready for anything."

Tsuki removed the strands of her black hair out of her face as the hard wind blew past them. "I do not know what in store for us, Yusuke. But, I have your back no matter what."

"I appreciate it, Tsuki."

They both hugged. At that moment, Tsuki realized Yusuke's friendship gave her something more. She didn't have to hide anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hello! Here's chap 6! Thank you lilnightmare17 and evy for reviewing chap 5. Appreciate it! :) Enjoy~

Sincerely,

UniversalGoddess

* * *

A Week Later

 _The wind called to me as I stand in the open_

 _She said I am lost in the wilderness_

 _She asked me if I can home_

 _I asked her where is home_

 _Because I don't know_

Tsuki sang as she brushed her fingers on the koto's musical strings. She was dress in her miko outfit, getting ready for her Sunday morning.

 _Should I go left? Should I go right?_

 _Wind please tell me_

 _She said follow your soul_

 _Your heart knows the way_

The crows cawed to her as she continued her singing. They were standing on top of the large pine trees, watching her every move.

Tsuki closed her eyes and listened to her music.

It's been almost six months since Tsuki last played her instrument. Since school and training had been keeping her busy, she barely had time to play it anymore.

The instrument originally belonged to her mother. After she died, Grandfather Saito gave the instrument to her.

 _Tsuki, my daughter isn't among the living, but that doesn't mean her spirit dies. Play to keep her spirit with us._

The instrument was old. Tsuki could see small scratches in the hard brown wooden surface. The musical strings needed to be tightened a bit. However, the koto still played rather beautifully.

 _Soul, can you hear me?_

 _I am lost_

 _Where is home?_

 _My soul said follow the stars_

 _They will show you the way_

Every time she touched the strings with her fingers, it gave her warmth and excitement that reached deep inside her heart.

When she was six, Tsuki remembered lying down on the wooden floor and watching the stars light up the night sky as her mother played her koto. After the first few tunes, Tsuki was able to fall peacefully asleep.

Tsuki stopped her singing, completing her song with the last of her musical notes.

The harmony was peaceful with a hint of sadness and discomfort. Tsuki felt okay, but her anxiety was slowly killing her.

She was anxious. A lot had happened these past few months. She needed a breather, something to keep her mind off the madness.

Tsuki took a deep breath as she looked at the crows as they continued to cawed at her.

 _Where is the way?_

* * *

Tsuki was finishing up her chores now.

Today was going to be a sunny day. The sun ray's was creating an orange hue across the morning sky.

As she swept the shrine's long stairwell, Tsuki felt excited for the day.

Since she has been training hard these past few weeks, her grandfather had decided to give her a break.

Despite her anxiety, Tsuki was ecstatic. She definitely needed this day off.

Hurrying up to finish her chores, Tsuki wanted to see if Keiko was free to hang out. Since the hospital incident, they hadn't been able to spend time with each other.

Miraculously, Keiko's mother was able to get checked out the next day. However, Keiko had been helping her parents out more at their family restuarant.

She missed her friend. Keiko's presence had always had the ability to calm Tsuki's anxious mind. Her smile, kind words, and intellectual mind gave Tsuki a better understanding of where she wanted and needed to be in her life.

Last week, the girls rejoiced as they finally welcomed Yusuke back to the Human World. Tsuki was overjoyed that her friend was alive. Yet, they both knew things was not going to be the same.

She felt something was just around the corner, waiting to throw them off their feet.

But what was it? Oh, Tsuki wish she knew.

She headed towards the end of the stone well. As Tsuki walked closer, she suddenly spotted a familiar girl with bright purple hair, waiting patiently for her to come down the stairs.

"Botan!" Tsuki said in a surprised tone. She was not expecting to see the grim reaper, especially not at the bottom of the Saito Shrine staircase. "What are you doing here? I'm not seeing Yusuke until school tomorrow."

After a week of regaining his energy, Atsuko was finally able to register Yusuke back to their school.

Keiko tried to help Yusuke get back to his studies. She even offered to tutor him everyday until he was able to catch up. Despite her kind effort, Yusuke bluntly refused. He stated that it was a waste of time and he would study when Takenaka-sensei actually gave him homework.

Even after reviving from the dead, Yusuke was still the same.

"Actually," Botan said as she approached the young miko. Instead of wearing her usual pink kimono, she was now wearing modern clothes. She looked good dress in her black leather jacket and blue jeans. "I came here to see you. Lord Koenma wants to meet you."

Tsuki raised her eyebrow, trying to make sure that she heard Botan correctly.

"Who?"

"Lord Koenma, the prince of the Spirit World and the son of King Emna."

"Yes, I know who he is," Tsuki stated sharply. She didn't mean to sound rude. However, she was already getting annoyed. "Why does he want to see me?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Lord Koenma seemed very intrigued that I had met a young member of the Saito tribe. He also watched you protect Yusuke from the fire."

"He watched me protect Yusuke's body but didn't even _bother_ to help me?"

"As a matter of fact, Lord Koenma _did_ help but that's another story."

"Tsuki, who's this?" Grandfather Saito asked as he casually made his way down the stairwell. He thought he sensed a new energy entering the shrine.

Botan immediately bowed. "Hello sir! I am Botan, Lord Koenma's assistant. It's a pleasure to meet the elder of the Saito tribe."

Grandfather Saito bowed back, welcoming the young lady.

"Koenma? Interesting. It's been years since I have seen him."

"Grandfather!" Tsuki said, still pretty annoyed about the whole situation. This was suppose to be her Sunday off. "Apparently, Lord Koenma wants to see me."

"Hm," Grandfather Saito rubbed his white mustached. "I think that's a great idea."

 _You have got to be kidding me_ , Tsuki frustratedly thought. He didn't even think twice about his decision. She just couldn't win.

Reading her exact exasperated thoughts, Grandfather Saito turned to his stubborn granddaughter.

"Tsuki, go. Maybe seeing Koenma will give you a better understanding of your destiny."

 _No one can change my destiny. My mind is already made up!_

Yet, instead of retorting, Tsuki only rolled her eyes, silently obliging her grandfather's wish.

She turned to the grim reaper.

"How are we getting to the Spirit World?" Tsuki questioned Botan, her brown eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me I'm flying on your oar."

"Since Yusuke was a ghost, I was able to easily take him to the Spirit World with my oar. However, since you are still a human Tsuki, we are taking a plane."

Grandfather Saito nodded.

"Very well then. Botan, I'll leave you to it," He said as he took the broom out of his granddaughter's hand. "Tsuki, I'll see you later."

Tsuki sighed as she watched her grandfather whistled his way up the stairs.

"Let's go Botan."

"Alright, follow me! I've landed the plane in the east location of your shrine. I hope you guys don't mind."

* * *

"How far are we?" Tsuki asked as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. They were hiking for thirty minutes. The sun's strong rays was already causing her to sweat.

"Not that far! We just need to get passed this rocky hill," Botan said as she easily stepped her brown combat boots on top of a large rock.

Tsuki grumbled while her sandals touched the hard rocky surface. She quietly wished she was back at the shrine.

Right now, she would have finished up her chores, taken a nice hot shower, and called her best friend.

Botan grinned at the grumpy priestess.

"Cheer up Tsuki! You are going to love seeing the Spirit World. The palace is beautiful," Botan exclaimed excitedly. "Lord Koenma is looking forward to seeing you."

"That's what I'm worried about," Tsuki muttered. She didn't know how she was going to react when she would meet him.

As they came up the rocky hill, Botan gave Tsuki support from the ground as she landed her feet on top of one large slippery rock.

"Don't worry, Tsuki. Koenma rarely pressure anyone to doing anything that they don't want to do. I'm sure he just wants to talk to you."

That helped her calm down a little bit. However, Tsuki's guard was still up.

After talking with Yusuke, Tsuki was sparring with her grandfather even more.

Of course, Grandfather Saito was very pleased that his granddaughter was taking her training seriously. He might have even thought she was considering on pursuing her priestess duties.

In a sense, she was but only because she wasn't taking any more chances. Tsuki would be 100% ready if a new enemy were to appear.

Botan let go of Tsuki's hand.

"By the way, your shrine is beautiful. I had a blast exploring it when I was riding the plane."

"Thank you."

"You also look really good wearing your miko clothes," Botan complemented, gazing at Tsuki's outfit with admiration. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so hesitant to fulfill your spiritual duty? From what I heard, the Saito tribe were powerful spiritual warriors that were honored to use their powers to protect the Human World."

Tsuki sighed.

"It's complicated. Don't get me wrong, l strongly respect my family's tradition and spiritual powers. I even enjoy carrying out some of my priestess duties. However, I don't want to be just a priestess all of my life. I want to have freedom to do what I want to do. "

The girls continued to climb up the steep hill.

"The problem is, I wish my grandfather would understand that. When my mother was alive, she hadn't had the chance to do that. I've watched my mother be absent from home for days or even weeks. When she did come home, she would have bruises and cuts all over her body. She would always keep a warm smile on her face when she tucked me in bed even though I could see the dark bags under her eyes. She never wanted me to see her hurting, but I always knew that being a priestess was hard and disciplined work."

Botan stopped and turned to Tsuki. Her purple eyes was filled with positivity and hopefulness as she stared at Tsuki's brown ones.

"Well, if you don't mind my opinion, I think you are a great student and miko. No matter how tough the journey is, I believe you will find what you are looking for."

Tsuki broke into a smile.

"Thanks, Botan."

"No problem. It's all about balance. From what I learn from living a thousands of years, you don't have all of your life figured out. Once you let things flow, then everything will fall into place."

 _Let things flow_

Tsuki undoubtedly needed to hear that. Instead of thinking too much on the whole priestess situation, she just need to let it be.

As they continued to walk up the steep hill, the girls finally made it to the peak of the mountain. The trail had lead them to an opening of a flat and rocky field.

In the middle of the large field, there stood a small sky blue plane.

Botan smiled brightly as she opened her arms wide.

"Here we are, isn't she a beauty? I just love flying her."

They walked towards the aircraft. It was pretty. Tsuki could tell that the plane has been used for a very long time. The outer surface needed to be repainted. She could barely read the Spirit World's name on the bottom of the passenger's door.

Botan touched the door.

"Okay! Before we enter the plane, there are some ground rules. Please, buckle yourself up, tightly. While flying, please don't touch any of the plane's equipment. And no matter what the reason is, do NOT stand inside the plane. Got it?"

Tsuki stood firmly straight and saluted with her right hand. "Yes, sergeant."

Botan chuckled and opened the plane door. "Alright, after you madam."

Tsuki entered the plane. The seats were dark gray and cleaned. When she sat down, she easily buckled herself tightly around her small waist.

Entering from the pilot side, Botan sat down and buckled her seat belt. She put the radio headset on top of her head.

"Message to the Spirit World. Botan here, I am heading towards the Spirit World's entrance with a fellow passenger."

"Alright Botan. We will be waiting," The speaker replied.

Botan gave Tsuki a thumbs up.

Tsuki genuinely smiled at the grim reaper. Even though they had only interacted a few times, she was starting to really like Botan. She was such a nice girl.

Botan pressed the red knob forward, causing the plane engine to roar back to life. As she checked the engine making sure everything was intact, she pushed the black throttle forward, allowing the plane to move straight towards the mountain peak.

She steadied the wheel as the plane to continue on increasing it's speed. Once the meter reached 55 knots. Botan gently pushed the wheel back, causing the plane to slowly lift off.

"Up we go!" Botan said as the plane easily made its way off the mountain.

Tsuki watched the forrest of her shrine slowly disappear. She wondered if her grandfather was praying to the gods about her journey.

As the plane continued to head north, the Osaka city buildings looked like tiny monuments.

Tsuki spotted her school. Since it was Sunday, the building was empty. But tomorrow, it was going to be filled with students and teachers.

She sighed. Tsuki knew that it would be a big commotion when Yusuke arrived to school on Monday. She hoped she was ready for it.

Botan maintain the plane's speed, leveling out the aircraft above the clouds.

After ten minutes of flying, Tsuki noticed a gigantic circle that portrayed the moon.

The difference was it was not made of a large rock. It was an invisible portal.

"Here it is! The entrance to the Spirit World!" Botan yelled, riding the plane straight towards it.

The first thing that Tsuki notice once the plane entered the moon was the light pinkish sky.

When she look down, she noticed a long, narrow, winding yellow trail that was surrounded by large brown mountains. The path was infinite, leading to somewhere that she couldn't see.

"This is the road of Yomi," Botan yelled. "Once the living die, they travel on this road to their determined destination."

They continued to ride, following the trail towards the castle. With the atmosphere calm and quiet with a strong presence of spiritual energy, the Spirit World reminded Tsuki of the Saito Shrine.

"Tsuki, we are almost close to the palace. Lord Koenma is at his office waiting for us," Botan exclaimed as she maneuvered the plane to the east direction.

Tsuki looked straight ahead. At first, the palace from a distance looked to be made of large mountains.

As they rode closer, she gasped.

The palace had architecture like no other in the Human World. Tsuki was fully aware that the palace had been here for over centuries.

The Japanese castle was constructed primarily of black wood and stone. A large tall white wall surrounded the outside of the palace.

The building was huge. Tsuki knew for sure that she would get lost were she given the opportunity to explore. There was a very large building in the middle that went seven stories tall, linking to dozen of medium to small buildings that were also five to one stories tall.

As Botan rode the plane past the palace, Tsuki could see gigantic ogres standing and watching inside the guard towers. Even the Spirit World needed protection from the outside.

They approached a tall building that was farthest away from the palace.

Once Botan had seen that her landing was clear, she reduce the airspeed by backing off on the throttle.

The plane began to lower down towards the landing. As the plane's speed began to slow down, Botan lowered the plane's flap while slowly pulling back the wheel.

She held the wheels steady at the plane two front wheels touched the ground. She continued to hold until the whole plane was safely intact.

As the plane finally stopped, Botan turned off the engine.

She took off her headset and smiled.

"Isn't the Spirit World beautiful?"

Tsuki nodded, still admiring the palace. She had to admit, the Spirit World was a magnificent place.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Botan said, grinning at the priestess.

Tsuki unbuckled her seatbelt.

"No, it wasn't. You are a great tour guide Botan."

Botan laughed. "Thanks, Tsuki. If you like, I'll show you more of the palace after we are done speaking with Lord Koenma."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

Tsuki didn't mind. She knew she wouldn't revisit the Spirit World anytime soon.

The girls exited out of the plane. In front of them, stood in front of a gigantic tower with a large door. On the side, there was small speaker with a red button.

Botan pressed the button.

"This is Botan. I am here to speak with Lord Koenma. I have Tsuki with me."

"All right. Please, come in!" A loud voice echoed from the speaker.

The large door creak opened.

Tsuki and Botan entered in.

"When King Emma is away, Lord Koenma takes care of Spirit World duties," Botan stated as they walked through the long narrow hallway with polished floors.

Tsuki observed the paintings and murals of King Emma that was attached to the long walls. She had never met the king, but her grandfather had fought battles alongside him.

Grandfather Saito told her that King Emma was a ruthless king that would do anything to maintain order in the three Worlds.

The end of the hallway lead them into a large opening. Tsuki could hear noises coming from inside.

Tsuki swallowed and took a deep breath. There was no going back.

 _I can do this._

They entered a large busy office that was filled with a bunch of ogres, frantically walking around everywhere as they passed and delivered papers to each other.

"Here! Deliver this to section V11!"

"No, you idiot! The business letter was suppose to be sent to the Demon World, not the Human World!"

"Ugh, we have another court request!"

In the middle of the office, sitting on a chair was a toddler that could be around three years old, quickly stamping and signaturing stacks of papers on top of his desk.

The boy was wearing a pink-trimmed blue robe with a hat that had "jr" printed on it.

He looked up and turned to the ogre that was standing next to his desk.

"Jorge, give me the papers of the three demon rulers, we need to have a talk with them."

"Yes sir!"

The blonde hair ogre fled into another room.

Finally acknowledging their presence, Lord Koenma turned his eyes on the girls.

"So you're Tsuki Saito," Koenma said as he watched Tsuki with curious brown eyes, sucking on his blue pacifier.

He was a very cute baby. Tsuki wanted to squeeze his chubby cheeks.

She bowed at the prince. "And you must be Lord Koenma. It's very nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. I've known the Saito family for a very long time. Your grandfather had always helped us in a time of need. It's too bad he retired."

Tsuki nodded, remembering all the stories her grandfather had told her. He was very proud of his memories and accomplishments.

"And Aiya. She was one of my strongest spiritual warriors. It's very unfortunate that she died," Koenma sighed. "She had so much potential. You know, I was there when she gave birth to you. She loved you so much."

"Thank you," Tsuki said. She meant it. Hearing that her mother's tenderness towards her brought warmness in her heart.

Tsuki missed her even more.

"You even know Urameshi! Long time friends! As you already know, with my assistance, he was able to be revived. That boy has the potential to become a great spirit detective. I'm sure you will help him through his troubles."

Tsuki coughed.

"Excuse me, I am not really a fan of small talk. Why did you summon me here?"

Koenma pressed his palms together.

"As you are fully aware, I don't want to pressure you to do anything, Tsuki. I just came here to talk."

Tsuki waited for him to continue.

"When Botan mentioned that she met one of members of the Saito tribe, I immediately knew it was Aiya's daughter. Since we haven't introduced ourselves, I was very curious on how you grew up. Tsuki, watching you slay that fire demon was amazing. You definitely have the Saito's spiritual powers running through your veins."

Jorge came back into the room with a large stack of papers, putting them on the side of the desk.

"As what Botan informed me, I know you want to graduate from high school. But what are your plans afterwards? Tsuki, your spiritual powers are a gift. It'll be shame to not use it for good use. Are you planning on becoming a spiritual warrior?"

Tsuki bit her lip. So that's why he wanted to talk to her. Lord Koenma wanted to see if he could use her in the future.

Yes, she was going to use her spiritual powers but not the way he wanted. Tsuki was not her mother. She was going to live her life differently.

"You see Koenma, I-"

Suddenly, a loud alarm system erupted in the room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. Red lights began flashing everywhere.

"Red alert! Red alert!" A loudspeaker yelled.

Tsuki covered her ears. The sound reminded her of the police sirens back at home.

A young girl around Botan's age, ran into the office. She had dark black hair and was wearing a black kimono.

Everyone turned to her as she caught her breath to speak.

"Ayame, what's going on?" Koenma asked his assistant.

Ayame gave Koenma a frightened look.

"Lord Koenma, the vault has been opened!"

Koenma slammed his hands on the desk.

"What?! Where are the guards?"

"I don't know. The radio cut off when I tried to contact them. The thieves are still there. They are trying to take the dark treasures!"

Koenma immediately grabbed the radio from his desk and pressed the talk button.

"This is a code blue. I repeat, code blue! Call for backup. Tell my army we will meet them at the vault!"

Koenma got up from his chair.

"Tsuki, Botan, you are coming with me. Ayame, make sure the troops are on there way," He said as he went to the middle between the two girls, taking off his pacifier and lifted it in the air.

The pacifier began to glow bright white, creating a large circle around their area.

Tsuki felt butterflies coming from her stomach as the circle began to glow and surround their space.

Noticing her nervousness, Botan grabbed Tsuki's hand, squeezing it tight as the circle created a long wall sphere in front of them.

Tsuki closed her eyes. The portal felt like she was in roller coaster, going slow then fast by a few seconds.

As the feeling stopped, Tsuki opened her eyes. They were now in a different section in the palace, standing in front of another large tinted door.

This time, she could see that someone or something had damaged the door. It was tilted inwards with a large hole in the middle.

Standing in front of the entrance were a group of thirty tall ogres.

They were much different from the ogres that she had seen inside the office. They looked meaner, bulkier, and were wearing silver armor.

The tallest one with a solid red stamp on his armor, saluted Lord Koenma.

"My lord, the thieves are still inside the vault. We are ready for your orders," The head general said as his army grunted and snorted in agreement.

Koenma stood in front of the ogres with determination and willpower. His innocent persona transformed into royalty and authority.

"You shoot on my command. Those treasures can not leave this vault. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!"

"Follow me!" Lord Koenma ordered as they strolled into the entrance. His tiny legs trailing and leading them as they entered a long dark hallway.

The large group walked in silence, prepare to strike by any given sound or slight movement.

The dim hallway was narrowed as they traveled down to the vault. Ten ogres marched in front while the rest walked in back.

Tsuki, Botan, and Lord Koenma walked in the middle.

"Everyone! We do not know who or what we are dealing with. Be ready for anything!" Koenma instructed.

"Yes sir!"

Tsuki didn't know why and how this all happened. She was just at the shrine getting ready for her day. Now, she was in the Spirit World confronting unknown thieves.

"Botan, what are the dark treasures?" Tsuki whispered to the grim reaper.

"The main Spirit World vault holds three dark artifacts of terrible power: the Forlorn Hope, the Shadow Sword, and the Orb of Baast. The Orb of Baast can steal a person's soul, the Shadow Sword can command an entire demonic army, and the Forlorn Hope can fulfill its user's greatest desire. If these treasures are taken by the wrong hands, the Spirit, Human, and Demon World could be in grave danger."

 _No wonder Koenma is so anxious_ , Tsuki thought as she eyed the worried prince.

"Everyone, we are entering the main vault's room. Get ready for any attack," The head general yelled upfront.

Tsuki's bracelet transformed into her divine bells, her right hand firmly gripping her weapon. She was now being extremely cautious of this situation.

"Halt!" The head general ordered as the entered the room.

They suddenly stopped. The guards unlock the safety in their guns. They were now in a silent dark room.

"I need light!" Lord Koenma yelled.

One of the guards turn on the light near the door.

What they saw next was unexpected.

The ogres loudly grunted.

Tsuki and Botan gasped at the scene.

In the room, there were dozen of dead soldiers lying on the hard surface floor.

It was a massacre. There was blood scattered everywhere. Some ogres had missing limbs. Some ogres had thorns vines wrapped around their bodies. Others had holes and cut slices around their face and body parts.

Tsuki covered her mouth. Her gut tightened as she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Who could have done such a thing?

Koenma ran to one of the dying who was barely conscious. He had a large gash on his left shoulder.

"Soldier! Are you alright?! Where are they?!"

The soldier opened his right eye.

"Still in the vault...We tried to stopped them but they easily defeated us…..We closed the vault so they wouldn't get out...but I don't know how long the door...can keep them shut….Be careful...Lord Koenma."

The guard closed his eyes.

Koenma gave out a frustrated yell.

"Surround the vault! We can't let them escape!"

The guards immediately surrounded the vault door, their guns ready to fire on the prince's command.

Koenma, Botan, and Tsuki stood in the middle, behind the head general and three other soldiers.

The soldiers' main mission were to retrieve the treasures, but they needed to make sure the prince stayed safe.

The room turned silent as they eagerly waited for thieves to come out.

Tsuki heart was beating rapidly, her brown anxious eyes staring at the vault. She didn't know how long they were waiting. Maybe five or ten minutes, maybe five or ten seconds.

 _Boom!_

"Everyone, stay in your position!" The general yelled.

The soldiers remained in their spot. There was no turning back now.

 _Boom!_

Tsuki gulped. She didn't know what was coming out of the vault, but she prayed that she could just return home safely.

 _Boom!_

The final pound pushed the vault door out of the wall, heading straight towards Tsuki's section.

They barely dash to safety as the door collided with the wall.

Tsuki quickly got up from the ground. She instantly spotted the thieves. There were three of them.

They weren't human. Tsuki knew that for sure. Their auras was different. Two was dark red. The other one was light purple.

The guards came forward, pointing their guns directly at the thieves.

"Intruders! Put your hands up or we will shoot-"

The first person that Tsuki noticed had monstrous features. The nine feet tall demon grinned evilly as he easily used his upper body strength to knock the soldiers to the side.

The other one had long, vibrant red hair with green eyes, easily dodging the ogres' shots without batting an eye. He appeared to be dancing, weaving in and out of the shots that raced passed him. His calm expression never changed once, radiating a calm aura that contrasted starkly with his peers.

The shortest one, with a crazy grin on his face, was effortlessly cutting the spirit soldiers in half. Despite the blood that splattered on his face, he seem to be enjoying every minute of destroying the S3960256pirit soldiers.

They were quick! Tsuki stood shocked and amazed by their power, she barely had time to see the short one coming straight towards her.

He blurred pass Tsuki, causing a force that felt like a strong gust of wind that would surely knock her off her feet. She instinctively used her divine bells to block his sword from behind.

The boy jumped back and smirked devilishly at her. His crimson eyes staring intensely at her own brown ones.

"Hmph, nice block priestess," He said as his partners were trailing right behind him.

"No fair, Hiei. You can't have fun right now," The large demon mocked. "We still need to escape from these bozos."

Koenma pointed his baby thumb towards the running thieves.

"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"

The ogres that were still standing stopped firing and began forming a circle around them.

The thieves stood in the middle of the floor. Their backs were against each other as they faced the Spirit guards.

"Hmph, you're right Goki, but it looks like we're surrounded," Hiei said as he held out his sword.

Botan lightly tugged Tsuki's hand.

"Tsuki, let's stay back. We don't want to get in this mess."

Tsuki quietly obliged.

Koenma stood in the middle of the head general. The other ogres frantically waited for his command.

"We have you surrounded. In the name of the Spirit World and my father, King Emma, I order you to surrender and release those treasures!"

The thieves stayed in their position, unphased by the angry and wounded guards.

Hiei glanced at his red-haired partner.

"Kurama, will you do the honors?"

Kurama, the calm and silent one of the group, took a medium size black glass ball out of his pocket. Everyone looked on in silence while Kurama seem to stare at the ball lost in thought. All of a sudden, he smashed the jewel into the ground. A dark cloud emerged from the wreck and rapidly filled the room, hiding the demons from view.

Koenma coughed hard and shielded the smoke from his eyes.

"Soldiers, stand your ground!" He yelled. If the guards fired their bullets towards the smoke, they may hit each other.

The guards held their fire as the smoke continued to filled up the room.

The girls stood behind the soldiers, covering themselves and anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Losing patience, with a wave of his hand, Koenma easily dispelled most of the dark smoke. Audible gasps could be heard amongst the soldiers as it became alarmingly clear that the thieves had escaped.

"T-they're gone!" A soldier yelled.

"That's impossible. How?!" Another soldier asked.

Koenma turned to his soldiers, determined to find the missing culprits.

"There's no time to waste! Guards, they must have headed outside! Stop them from leaving the Spirit World!"

"Yes sir!"

The guards quickly exited the room, following the path back to the entrance of the vault.

The head general stayed behind to talk to Koenma.

"Lord Koenma, if I may, let us handle searching the intruders outside. The ogres that are protecting the front entrance of the castle are already searching for the thieves."

Koenma nodded. "Very well. Keep me updated."

He quickly turned back to girls.

"Botan, Tsuki, let's go. We are heading back to my office. There's still much to do."

Tsuki was relieved to get back. This had definitely gotten out of hand.

* * *

Koenma was walking back and forth, frantically sucking his pacifier as he thought of a plan.

To their dismay, the three thieves successfully escaped with the three treasures.

While ogres continued to try to find their exact location the others were fixing the damage in the vault room.

Tsuki and Botan were patiently sitting in their chairs, daring not to disturb the young prince.

Ayame came into the office. She was now holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"Lord Koenma, we detected the thieves energy. They are headed to the Naniwa Ward district."

 _That's in Osaka,_ Tsuki desperately thought. What were the odds of that happening?

Koenma finally sat on his desk and put his head on top of the table in defeat.

"I only have a couple of days until my father comes back from his vacation. If he notices the treasures are not in the vault, then I'm going to be in big trouble."

Botan gave her prince a worried look.

"Lord Koenma, we need to send someone to retrieve the treasures immediately. That way, your father wouldn't even notice the treasures were gone."

"Who could retrieve them?" Koenma asked as he slightly lifted his tiny head up.

Botan and Koenma simultaneously turned towards Tsuki.

"Tsuki, I know this may be too much to ask, but will you help us?"

 _Can I help?_ Tsuki desperately thought.

If she did assist Koenma, would she be able to defeat the thieves and retrieve the treasures? If the thieves could easily escape the Spirit World army, what could she possibly do to stop them? Was her spiritual powers even strong enough?

But, if Tsuki were to say no, who could they run to for help? Yusuke? He definitely wasn't ready to face those demons. She couldn't even fathom the thought of Yusuke dying again and watching Keiko's heartbreak.

Tsuki was faced with a major dilemma. What would her mother do?

 _Mother_

Tsuki eyes furrowed. All of her memories that she repressed for so long came back just an instant. She might get killed, sharing the same unfortunate fate as her mother.

However, her friends and grandfather would be in danger. She couldn't allowed that to happen.

Tsuki got up from her seat slowly.

"Yes, I'll help you." She said, firmly. After all, she was the daughter of Aiya Saito. "But first, I'll need to speak with my grandfather."

Koenma eyes lit up, a small smile spread across his face.

"That's not a problem. We will start the mission tomorrow. Thank you so much, Tsuki. It's a pleasure to be working with a Saito member again."

He gave Tsuki a bow.

"Botan, see that Tsuki makes it home safely."

"Yes sir."

Tsuki bowed to the prince.

"Thank you, Lord Koenma."

"The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for helping us."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: YES! I'm back and I FINALLY finished chapter 7. I KNOW it's been a year and a few months since I last posted. I don't want to go into details on my personal life, but just know I've been going through A LOT. There wasn't a day that I didn't think about this story. Thank you all for patiently waiting. I'm writing chapter 8 at the moment. It should be posted up soon. Until then, enjoy chapter 7! :)**

 **PS: Anyone wants to be my writing beta? Unfortunately, I don't have mine anymore. I just need someone to check my grammar and make sure that I'm following and interacting with the story and characters well. Message me if you're interested! :)**

 **UniversalGoddess**

* * *

The following morning, Tsuki woke up with a major headache.

She couldn't sleep last night. Every time she closed her eyes, the memories of traveling to the Spirit World, interacting with Koenma and the thieves kept popping inside her head.

Tsuki hated when she overthink. Replaying the same scene over and over made her stress out too much.

Her tired eyes peeked at the clock that was located on top of the dresser.

It was 6:30. She was supposed to get ready thirty minutes ago.

With her forehead pounding each millisecond, Tsuki finally got up and sat down.

Right now, her grandfather was making breakfast. She certainly knew that he wanted to give her a nice lecture before she left.

Tsuki dragged herself out of bed. She will face her grandfather once she was finished getting herself together.

She went inside the bathroom and took the Tylenol at her bottom cabinet. The bitter pills numb her tongue as she filled her mouth with the faucet water.

When Tsuki finally looked at her reflection in the mirror, she gasped.

Her shiny black hair was messy and tangled. She could see dark spots around her brown eyes. Along with her pale skin not having color.

Tsuki cried out. She wanted to crawl right back to bed and sleep away this depression. However, she knew she needed to deal with an extremely important matter.

Yesterday, she surprised herself by telling Lord Koenma that she would help him capture the three thieves.

Of course, the prince was thrilled that the young Saito was assisting him. However, Tsuki wasn't excited one bit.

She shuddered from the flashback image of watching the thieves easily dismantling the ogres' army. Not even Koenma could halt them from escaping. If they were strong enough to retrieve the treasures, then it was going to be difficult getting them back.

Tsuki turned on the shower faucet while quickly unraveling herself. She needed to get ready. Botan wanted to meet with her around 8.

She didn't know how this day was going to unfold, or if she was coming out of this alive. But, that didn't matter. Tsuki's goal was to make sure that those damn demons didn't harm the Human World.

* * *

"Grandfather?" Tsuki yelled out as confidently as she could, searching all angles throughout the dining room area.

Her breakfast was ready. There was still hot steam coming from the jasmine rice and fried fish.

"Grandfather?" Maybe he was in the kitchen.

It wasn't until Tsuki came closer towards the table that she spotted the letter.

 **Tsuki, after breakfast, meet me inside the honden.**

 **Saito**

As she chewed her fish, Tsuki thought long and hard in why her grandfather would be inside the honden. He rarely goes inside unless he needed to converse with their spirit animal, Inari.

Since the beginning of their clan, the four tail fox provided each generation protection, guidance, and spiritual powers. When Tsuki was ready to fulfill her priestess duties, Inari was going to guide her.

Tsuki instinctively knew that Inari was going to be in her life for a very long time. As often as she could, Tsuki will take a break from her school activities and meditate with Inari. With each session, she could feel their bond getting stronger.

Once she finished her breakfast and washed her dishes, Tsuki immediately headed out towards the honden.

The sun was out, but the strong winds made the air chilly as Tsuki walked casually through the shrine.

When she finally reached the room, she slowly slid the door open and peeked inside.

Her grandfather was in a half lotus position, breathing at a steady pace as he channeled his spiritual energy.

Tsuki watched silently as Inari's stone eyes began to glow brightly. Each time her grandfather took a breather, her eyes grew even brighter.

"Tsuki, sit down," Grandfather Saito commanded. He didn't even bother to open his eyes.

She closed the door and obliged, sitting right next to her grandfather.

"Close your eyes."

She did.

"Take a deep breath and calm your mind."

Tsuki inhaled and exhaled, letting go of all her worries, self-doubts, and random excessive thoughts. She continued to breathe deeply until she was in a mental state of clarity.

"Good, keep breathing. Now, do you feel the energy inside of you?"

"Yes," she replied, feeling the familiar energy swarming through her heart.

"That's the energy that has been passed down through the Saito tribe. As I told you before, Inari has been with us since the beginning of our clan. Before the Human World became the Human World."

Tsuki continued to listen, her mind focusing on her grandfather's words. She heard these stories many times throughout the years of her childhood. Her mind would usually ignore his repetitive rants, but today she was paying extra close attention to every sentence.

"For years the Saito's tribe primary focus was to protect and guide the Human World. With the help of the Spirit World, we have maintained balance. My time as a protector is over. Unfortunately, my daughter only had a few years to protect it. Now Tsuki, since you accepted your first mission, it's time to fulfill the Saito's duties."

Inari roared, causing Tsuki to flicker her eyes open. She watched as the giant statue shook left and right.

"Inari is ready to guide you on your path. Are you ready?"

"...Yes…"

"Very well, Inari!"

The statue shook even harder before the two tail fox escape from her statue, landing right in front of them.

Tsuki gazed with admiration as Inari spread her long two tails. To her, Inari was the most beautiful fox she had ever seen. The spirit animal had powers and wisdom that was so ancient and powerful, there were millions of things that she could teach Tsuki.

They bowed to Inari who watched them silently. Her golden eyes revealing nothing.

Grandfather Saito went back to his position. "Inari, it's time. Please guide my granddaughter to her highest potential!"

Inari growled and approached Tsuki.

They both made eye contact before Inari sniffed and licked Tsuki's pale face.

Tsuki laughed as the fox touched her forehead. Like always, the contact was warm and loving.

 _I'll always be with you_ , Inari stated, transforming back to her spirit form.

The spirit swirled and swished around Tsuki before entering her body.

Tsuki gasped. It didn't hurt but she felt an enormous amount of energy flowing throughout her anatomy. The energy was powerful. Nothing that she ever felt before.

Suddenly, all of Tsuki's anxieties and frustrations melted away. Instantly she felt extreme warmth and peace, especially around her heart.

She continued to silently sit beside her grandfather, breathing in the new energy. It was very refreshing.

"Are you ready for the mission?" Grandfather Saito asked, finally making eye contact with his granddaughter.

"Yes," Tsuki answered. This time, she felt confident. With Inari, she knew the universe was on her side.

Her grandfather studied her outward appearance. It was clear that he wanted to make sure that she was presentable for the mission.

Tsuki thought she looked decent enough. She ironed and hanged her priestess outfit before she went to bed.

They both got up.

"Did you eat your breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Good, you'll need your strength." Grandfather Saito nodded as he stared at Inari's statue. "Tsuki, remember everything I've taught you. All of the wisdom and spiritual energy is inside you. With the help of Inari, you can't be stopped."

"But how can I use this new power?" She was certainly grateful that Inari will be watching over her, but Tsuki didn't know how to channel the spiritual animal's energy.

"When the time is right, you'll know what to do and Inari will be already." Grandfather Saito stood up and approached his granddaughter. "Tsuki, I'm proud of you. You have worked so hard for this moment. I'm sure your mother is proud of you as well."

Tsuki bit her lip. "I hope so too."

Her grandfather smirked. "You know, your mother had the same expression and attitude when she started her first mission."

"Really?"

"Yes, her objective was battling a 12-foot ogre! Of course, she beat him, but l had to make sure that she didn't get too cocky. Oh, she had so much fire. Just like me when I was young and naive. Tsuki, you should be proud of yourself. You've worked so hard. The Saito tribe has always been powerful, especially women. Sooner or later you'll realize the potential you carry inside."

"Thank you, grandfather." Becoming a priestess wasn't an effortless task. Tsuki knew she had so much growing and training to do. She just didn't want to fail and let her loved ones down.

Grandfather Saito gave her a firm hug.

"Be strong, granddaughter and fight for the Human World. It's in your hands now."

Tsuki returned the hug. "I'll do everything that I can."

"I know. I've also let the school know that you'll not attend today. Takenaka said you can pick up your homework tomorrow."

"Alright, thank you, grandfather."

She gave him one last bow before exiting the room.

* * *

"Hey Tsuki." Botan waved.

Just like yesterday, the grim reaper stood at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Hey Botan," Tsuki greeted as she made her way down the staircase. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"No, not at all! I actually just got here."

Tsuki raised her eyebrow as she studied the grim reaper's outfit. This time, she was wearing a cute dark pink sweater and blue jeans that showed off her white skin.

"Where's your helmet? Aren't we riding the plane again?"

Botan chuckled. "Nope, not today. We're taking a more casual ride to the district. It only takes about twenty minutes to get there."

That's when Tsuki noticed the car parked next to her shrine. It was a four-seat 97 blue Honda.

She nodded. "Then we should get going. The quicker we find them, the better."

"Right," Botan agreed as she unlocked the car door.

Once they were inside the vehicle, Botan turned on the ignition while Tsuki put on her seat belt.

"Have you spoken with Yusuke about the mission?" Botan inquired, shifting the stick to drive.

Tsuki rolled her eyes. "Last night, I called him multiple times. He didn't answer. Apparently, he's still enjoying his rebirth on earth."

When she called Atsuko, she happily told Tsuki in a drunk reply that Yusuke went out to gamble and wasn't sure when he'll be back home.

Even though she was annoyed by their irresponsible behavior, Tsuki realized she just needed to speak with Yusuke later.

Botan chuckled. "Typical Yusuke. Well, Lord Koenma suggested that we use him. I immediately told him no. He barely just got back from the dead."

"You're right," Tsuki stated. "Yusuke needs more time to channel his spiritual energy. He's no match for those demons."

"Yes, hopefully, Lord Koenma and I can start his training soon as this mission is over."

Botan drove calmly through the mild traffic. Through all the commotions that were happening, she didn't seem to be in a rush.

"How's the Spirit World?" Tsuki finally asked.

The grim reaper let out a deep sigh.

"We've been busy all night trying to figure out our next step. Lord Koenma is worried that it might be too late. He wished he could stop them himself, but his powers are useless in the Human World. We only have a week until King Emma comes back. Those treasures are his most precious possessions. If he noticed them missing, I guarantee he'll cause a lot of commotion in the Human World."

"What kind of commotion?" Tsuki didn't like how the conversation was going.

"Anything can happen, Tsuki. Earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, you name it! King Emma doesn't hold back when he's angry."

Tsuki shuddered. The Human World didn't need that right now. There were a lot of commotions going on already.

"Botan, I'll help out as much as I can. I don't know how much I'll be a match with them, but we'll find a way to get those treasures back."

"I know and I'm really honored to help you. Ever since I've been interacting with you and Yusuke, I can see why the Human World is a special place. I know our chances are low, but I'm not giving up without a fight."

They smiled at each other. All they can do was hope for the best outcome.

The girls finally made it to the Ninwawa district. It was still early but they could see people filling up the shopping center.

"Do you know the exact location of the thieves?" Tsuki questioned the grim reaper as she parked the car in a parking lot.

Botan shook her head. "Unfortunately, we couldn't detect their spiritual energy after I drop you off. Somehow, they were able to hide it really well. Maybe they're keeping quiet until the coast is clear."

"Maybe," Tsuki doubted though. "but the tall and short one seemed to enjoy causing chaos."

"You're right about that. We should start looking for them here. There will be a bunch of people for the thieves to attract. Apparently, the big guy Goki loves eating human souls, especially young children."

Botan was about to get out of the car until she received a beep from her phone. After looking at the message, she gasped.

"Oh, no!"

"Botan, what's wrong?" Tsuki asked anxiously. She didn't need any more surprises.

The grim reaper shook her head. "It's nothing, just Lord Koenma. He needs to speak with me immediately. I don't want to leave you, especially since we just got here!"

The phone continued to ring nonstop. Botan ignored it until her radio started to buzz.

"Botan! Can you hear me?! I need you back in the Spirit World ASAP!" Koenma screamed through the speaker.

Tsuki sighed. "Botan, just go. It must be important. I'll detect the thieves."

"Nonsense! He can wait! I'm sure it's not super important," unfortunately, the grim reaper spoke too soon. Her phone just kept ringing.

"BOTAN! You have a direct order from your lord to come in immediately! Let Tsuki precede with the mission!"

Botan let out a groan. "Fine, whatever you do, don't go after them until I come back. Got it?"

"Okay, but how are we going to remain in contact?"

"Here." Botan tossed the small black radio towards her. "Remember, when you find them, message me right away and stay undetected. All right?"

Tsuki nodded.

Botan turned on the ignition and drove off, leaving the young priestess in the parking lot.

Tsuki took another deep breath. When she exhaled, she felt warm loving energy inside as a strong wind blew her black hair back.

 _I'm going to be okay. I'll find them,_ she thought as she hurried towards the downtown area.

* * *

 _Damn it, where could these thieves be?_

The Ninwawa district continued to be filled up with people, but there was still no sight of the thieves.

Tsuki tried to feel their energy throughout the busy crowd, but to no prevail. Either the thieves were hiding really well, or they weren't in this district anymore.

The young priestess sighed out in frustration. At this rate, with no specific leads of their location, she was going to run around in constant circles.

And where was Botan? She promised she would be right behind her. What could Koenma possibly want when they had a serious mission to complete?

Tsuki finally sat down on a random public bench. She needed to calm down and figure out the next smart move. Probably contact Botan and give her an update.

She scanned the crowded area one more time. They had to be here. She just knew they were.

Suddenly, as if the universe answered her prayers, she spotted them. They blended so well in the public, she almost missed them.

Luckily, the thieves didn't notice her presence. Tsuki made sure to lower her spiritual energy just in case.

They walked casually and silently, not trying to disturb their cover. After all, they were demons walking around innocent and unaware humans.

A scowl formed between Tsuki's lips. Those bastards. They didn't deserve to be moving freely in the Human World.

She made sure to keep her distance, following behind them as they continued to walk through the crowd. If they spotted her now, they'll quickly find a way to escape her presence.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Somebody help!"

"Call the ambulance!"

Tsuki spun around to see the disturbance.

A small boy laid helplessly on the sidewalk as a large crowd formed around the body.

As the father tried to figure out what was going on, Tsuki noticed the boy was still breathing. Alive, just in a comatose state.

Suddenly, a white spirit orb escaped from the boy's body.

 _His soul!_ Tsuki's gasped.

The orb stayed near the area for a second before flying towards the direction of the thieves.

Tsuki gritted her teeth. She knew exactly who caused this. That was it! She couldn't wait for Botan.

She hurried to find them. They couldn't have gotten far.

Before she can take further steps towards their direction, a strong grip grabbed her wrist.

"Whoa! Slow down, Tsuki! You don't want them to spot us yet," a familiar voice teased.

"Yusuke!" Tsuki turned around. She was relieved but frightened to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"To help catch the thieves. Duh, Tsuki," He answered, lightly tapping her forehead. He was still wearing his school uniform.

"What? Why? Who sent you? How the hell do you know where to find me?"

He ignored her frantic questions and headed towards the directions of the thieves.

"We should get out of this commotion before we lose them. I'll tell you along the way."

Yusuke explained everything. How he arrived at his first day at school, and how the students, except Keiko and Takenaka-sensei, kept their distance.

"When that bastard Iwagoto accused me of stealing our classmates' items, I was interrogated until Koenma came to visit me. He informed me that the Spirit World needed help."

"Were you able to prove your innocence?"

"Yep, and I've gotten my revenge," Yusuke grinned triumphantly. "He had it coming."

Tsuki turned to him. "That reminds me, I've been trying to reach you. Why haven't you been returning my calls?"

He gave her a cheesy grin, like a child knowing he was getting into trouble by his mother.

"Sorry, I was going to call you back but I was...preoccupied," He explained while rubbing the back of his head.

 _Preoccupied my ass! I know what you were doing!_

Tsuki right eyebrow twitch. She wanted to strangle him, but she only took a deep breath to control her frustration. They had other things to worry about.

She informed Yusuke what happened in the Spirit World, describing in every detail how the thieves successfully took the treasures and escaped the vault unharmed.

"Yusuke, they're strong. I have spiritual powers, but I know a dangerous opponent when I see one. We need to proceed with caution."

"Why did you think Koenma came to get me? He knew you needed my help."

"Why didn't he inform us?" Tsuki was flattered that Koenma thought of her, but she didn't know if this was an intelligent or ridiculous move.

"It was a last minute decision. Besides, he knew Botan would be against it if he asked me ahead of time."

Yusuke touched her shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Tsuki, never think you're alone. I got your back."

The young priestess smiled. His determine brown eyes made her calm down a bit.

They continued to walk, finally reaching a large forest.

The thieves were nowhere in sight. However, Tsuki could still feel their presence. They were close.

The location was perfect. With no humans in their presence, they can move in freely now.

Tsuki grabbed the radio from her bag and pushed the talk button. "Botan, it's Tsuki. I have located the thieves. They're inside the forest that's near the east side of the Ninwawa district."

They heard a strong static before the grim reaper answer.

"Tsuki! I'm so sorry for the wait! I've just finished speaking to Lord Koenma. Did you know he decided to put Yusuke on this mission?!"

Koenma was right. She didn't sound so pleased.

"Yes, Yusuke is with me right now."

"Hey, Botan!" Yusuke greeted. "Tsuki and I are perfectly capable of taking these guys down. They don't seem so tough to me."

"Yusuke," Botan said in a stern voice, already knowing his irrational behavior. "Please, don't do anything rash. I'm on my way. We could beat the thieves if we put our minds together."

"No can do, Botan. The thieves are already starting trouble."

"He's right," Tsuki added. "A young boy's soul was captured. I believe Goki used the orb to get it. We have to stop them before things get worse.

"Yusuke, Tsuki, please. I'm begging you. Wait until I get there. I know you guys are anxious but we have to be realistic. It's better to have a plan."

Botan was correct. Yusuke just became a spirit detective and this was Tsuki's first mission.

Before the young priestess could respond, Yusuke snatched the radio right out of her hand with lightning speed.

"Yusuke! What are you doing?" Tsuki yelled, reaching as high as she could to grab the radio. It was no use, Yusuke was six inches taller than her.

"Tsuki? Yusuke? Are you still there?" Botan asked. They could hear the franticness in her voice.

He gave her a wink before pushing the talk button.

"What Botan? What was that? Can you repeat that?"

"What? Yusuke, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry, Botan. You're breaking up. So you're okay with us preceding?

"Yusuke Urameshi, don't you dare-"

Yusuke turned off the power before Botan can finish her sentence.

Tsuki stared at him in disbelief. What a sneaky devil!

He shrugged his shoulders, tossing the radio back towards her. "Stop worrying, you got me now."

"No offense Yusuke, but what can you do? I haven't seen you in action other than beating people up."

"Tsuki Saito, I can't believe you're underestimating me. Give me _some_ credit. I helped you recover my body from the fire didn't I?"

"...Yes…" She admitted. Even though she was going to use her divine bells to break the door.

"Wasn't I able to pass all of Koenma's test and granted permission to return to my body?"

"...Yes…"

"And did I just recently stop you from blowing our cover?"

"...Yes…"

"There you go! Besides, I got something," Yusuke stated. "Koenma showed me a nice trick to aid in our mission."

Whatever Koenma showed him, she hoped that it was enough.

"Alright, spirit detective. Let's go."

They jogged a steady pace, Tsuki leading Yusuke into the thieves location. The trails were smooth and straight. The blooming deciduous trees were tall enough for them to hide easily.

"We're getting close. Their energy is getting stronger."

Once they finally made it to the thieves' area. They slowly crept to a tall tree, peaking at their direction.

Hiei was showing off the sword, admiring the weapon's power as it slashed through the tree branches.

Goki was eyeing the orb, careful not to drop it with his large rough hands.

Kurama was standing near a tree, deep in thought.

"Are those the items they stole?" Yusuke whispered in Tsuki's ear.

The young priestesses nodded, never taking her eyes off the thieves.

They continued to watch as Hiei approached his enormous partner.

He looked at the sword, raising the weapon high in the air.

"With this," he proudly stated. "I'll be able to make an army of thousands of human demons."

"I'll gladly feed your demonic army with the orb," Goki grinned, rubbing his big belly. "I'm sure my stomach can't eat _all_ of the human souls."

They both chuckled, amused by their witty remarks.

"Those bastards," Tsuki muttered with so much venom. "We have to stop them."

Yusuke nodded in agreement. "You're definitely right about that."

They watched as Hiei and Goki turned to their red hair partner.

"And Kurama," Hiei said. "With his dark mirror, he'll unleash evil powers when the moon is full and strong."

Without saying a word, Kurama stepped forward, his hands comfortably inside his pockets.

He looked at his partners. "I apologize, but I'm leaving the group."

"What?!" Hiei and Goki said in unison.

Hiei frowned. "What do you mean? You want to leave us?"

"Yes, that's right, " Kurama said in a matter of fact tone. The nasty stares that he received didn't phase him at all.

"Kurama, you coward!" Hiei growled. "Ever since you came to this Human World, you allowed them to soften you up!"

Goki stepped forward, his large hand extending out. "I don't care if he leaves, just give us the mirror."

"I'm keeping the mirror," Kurama calmly stated. "I need it."

The large demon gritted his teeth. "Ugh, you! I will not allow you to take that mirror!"

 _That's strange._ Tsuki was confused. After all of this time, why would he change his mind now?

She was so focused on the argument, she didn't even notice Yusuke was already standing up.

The young spirit detective walked towards their direction. "Let's go, Tsuki. It's now or never."

"Yusuke, wait!" Tsuki said as she stood up. "We need to figure out-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he was already in their view.

Tsuki cursed under her breath and ran right after him.

By the time she got to him, the thieves were already alert, eyeing Yusuke suspiciously.

"Who are you?" Hiei questioned Yusuke. "How the hell do you know about the treasures?"

As she approached the group, Tsuki and Hiei locked eyes first.

Tsuki glared at him. However, instead of glaring back, the fire demon gave her a small smirk.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the priestess from the Spirit World. So Koenma sent you to retrieve the treasures?"

Without a word, Tsuki transformed her bracelet into her divine bells. There was no more talking. It was time to fight.

Hiei smiled now.

"Did he also order you to bring this weakling?" He eyed Yusuke up and down.

"He doesn't look so tough," Goki mocked. "I bet I can beat him with one punch."

They both chuckle again; amused that a mere human would even try to stop them.

Before Tsuki can retort, Yusuke stepped forward.

"Speak for yourself. I thought I was going to meet some tough demons, but all I see is three losers bickering at each other."

 _Oh, you have no clue, Yusuke._ She appreciated his confidence though.

Tsuki and Kurama both locked eyes with each other.

Kurama didn't say anything. He watched silently, trying to figure out the next best move.

She didn't sense any danger. All she could see was sadness, but motivation behind his green eyes.

Without a word, Kurama turned around and walked the opposite direction.

Before Tsuki could think about stopping him, Goki's gigantic body stood in front of them, blocking their view.

He flexed his enormous hard muscles. "I'll show you tough, human."

Hiei scoffed and turned his back away from them. "Do what you want, Goki. There's no need to make a scene here."

"Hey wait!" Tsuki cried. But the fire demon was already dashing away, not even bothering to look back.

She couldn't let him get away! Tsuki ran right after him, leaving Yusuke behind with Goki.

"Hold up you coward! Stop running!"

Hiei was incredibly fast. Tsuki couldn't keep up with him when she was wearing her sandals. She was a turtle compared to a cheetah.

The short demon was having no trouble jumping from different tree branches. Luckily, she was able to follow his moves.

Just when she thought she was getting closer to the demon, he skirted even further to keep distance.

 _Damn him,_ Tsuki anxiously thought. Now he was only teasing her.

What could she do? She was going to lose him if they kept this up.

Then suddenly, she had an idea. There was no way she could catch Hiei. However, she can stop him by force.

Tsuki halted to a complete stop and extended her divine bells, aiming at Hiei who was putting more distance between them.

She focused her spiritual energy onto her weapon as it started to glow white.

 _Steady._

Tsuki only had one shot before he disappeared completely out of her sight.

 _Steady._

She continued to concentrate, making sure her energy was calm. Just like her grandfather taught her.

 _Now!_

"Spirit arrow!" Tsuki shouted as she released her power. She knew she wouldn't miss. The blast was a magnet towards Hiei's demonic energy. Either he took the hit, or deflect it.

The priestess watched Hiei looked over his shoulder as the blast came closer and closer.

With one swift movement, he used the sword to blocked out the attack.

Hiei was able to avoid harmful damage but the blast skidded him back by five feet.

His red eyes glistened with excitement as the arrow disappeared into the air.

Tsuki slowly walked toward his space. Her weapon still pointing at his direction. She now had his full attention.

"Not bad, priestess," he stated, grinning.

"Give me the sword and you'll not get hurt." Oh, she wanted to wipe that grin right out his face.

"If I don't priestess, are you going to take it from me?"

"If I let you go," Tsuki stated, her weapon glowing for another attack. "The Human World will be in grave danger. I can't let that happen. Give me the sword."

Hiei scoffed. "Do you really think I actually care? I'm not Kurama. The Human World is merely a place for me to do as I please."

"Sometimes doing as you please leads to consequence, especially if it harms other people." Tsuki was appalled that he would say such a thing! Were all demons like this?

Her statement only made him laughed. "I'm in no mood of hearing any type of spirituality crap, priestess. The way I grew up, darkness always surrounded me. Either you let it consume you, or you conquer it."

Tsuki tightened up her lips to force herself not to speak. No matter how Hiei was making her upset, she had to concentrate now.

The fire demon must have noticed her frustration. As he did with Goki, he tautly raised the weapon in the air.

"If you want the sword, then you must take it for me. Unless you're too weak t-"

A spirit arrow came near his face. Hiei had barely enough time to avoid it. He moved slightly to the right as the arrow zoomed past him.

 _Almost._ Tsuki was angry. There was no way she was going to let some demon use her home as a playground.

Hiei smirked as a small scratch appeared on his cheek. "If I win, you're going to be my first human slave."

"Never."

Before Tsuki could release another spirit arrow, Hiei was right in front of her, swinging the sword.

 _Swish!_

 _So fast!_ Tsuki thought as she blocked his strike with her divine bells. Now, her eyes were having a hard time with his movements.

Tsuki skipped back to avoid another swift attack, but Hiei was already right behind her.

She turned around, shielding herself with her divine bells. There was no time to counter.

Before the sword could make contact with her skin, Tsuki created a spiritual barrier.

 _Swish!_

The fire demon squinted his eyes. He couldn't necessarily see the clear barrier but he knew that something was blocking his attack.

Hiei jumped back, creating some distance between them.

Breathing heavily, Tsuki watched as he eyed the sword carefully, making sure that there weren't any scratches on the steel.

"You just keep surprising me, priestess. Let's see if you can keep that barrier up." With a blur, Hiei was in front of her again.

 _Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!_

Tsuki cried out, gripping her divine bells even tighter. Even though he wasn't hitting her directly, she could feel the swords impact on the barrier. The weapon was demonic. She could hear and feel evil cries of a dark powerful spirit. No wonder it needed to be locked up.

Every time he sliced the barrier, Tsuki could feel it weakening. She knew she couldn't stay here for too long. She needed to react and fast.

"What's the matter, priestess?" He taunted as he continued to slash in different angles. "Aren't you going to attack? Don't tell me you're done."

Tsuki stood her ground. All she could do was be in defense mode. She only had a few seconds before the barrier was going to break.

"Fine, if you're just going to stand here, then I'll end it now!"

Hiei gave the sword a final swing, causing the barrier to evaporate.

Tsuki cried out in pain. No! She had failed her first mission.

Sweat poured her forehead as she panted, her knees on the hard ground. After a few seconds, she noticed Hiei was still standing there.

"Look at me," he commanded, using the weapon to lift her face up.

When she did have the nerve to look at his crimson eyes, all she can see was amusement.

He gave her a victorious smirk.

"Your powers aren't that bad, priestess. You'll be useful in my army."

Tsuki glared at him. She admitted, she had underestimated his fighting abilities but she was a Saito, not a puppet.

"You're not going to win, Hiei. You may be a strong demon, but you'll plan will never work. The Human World is meant for humans."

"You talk a lot even though you're are on your knees. Face it, priestess. You lost. Give up and follow me to victory."

"I'm not done yet." Tsuki closed her eyes. Immediately she felt strong energy inside her, ready to burst out.

Her body began to glow bright blue leading to Inari's spirit breaking free from her body.

Instinctively, Hiei swiftly stepped back before the fox could attack him.

Inari in her animal form growled. Blue fox fire began to swirl around her body as she crept closer to Hiei.

Hiei raised his sword again, standing his ground. "If you want to play then-"

Abruptly, they heard footsteps coming closer to their area.

"Hey!" Someone yelled.

"Who's there?"

"Let's check it out!"

"What a nuisance," Hiei disappointingly said. He lowered his sword. "Consider yourself lucky, priestess. Looks like you won't be my slave today."

"I'll never...be your..slave. The Human World...isn't your...playground!" Tsuki was having a hard time breathing. Calling Inari drained so much of her energy.

"We'll see about that. Until then." The fire demon jumped and dashed away.

Once she knew he was gone, Tsuki relaxed her shoulders and put her head on the fresh grass.

Inari whimpered. She lowered her head, sniffing Tsuki.

The young priestess looked up and smiled at the worried fox. "Thank you...Inari. I knew...I was gone... if I didn't summon...you."

Suddenly, Tsuki head began to feel light. The trees began to spin in constant circles. Her eyes were having a hard time staying open.

The last thing she remembered was a person approaching her as everything went pitch black.


End file.
